Corlene is a young and talented jewelry-maker, crafter and entrepreneur who has suffered with the effects of Kerataconus for several years. Kerataconus is a progressive eye disease where the normally round cornea stretches and thins, causing blurry, double-vision, distortion and extreme sensitivity to light.

Corlene’s case was severe and progressed rapidly affecting her ability to drive, go to school and hold a job. She was unable to wear the thick corrective lenses often used to compress the cornea into a round shape and glasses did nothing for her double, sometimes triple-vision and light sensitivity. She had to rely on her friends and family to get around and often had to keep her eye closed for long periods to rest. She even had to give up on college because she couldn’t use her computer or see the lines on a paper to complete her course work. A cornea transplant would be the only solution to help Corlene regain her sight and give her a chance to live a normal, productive life. Thanks to the gift of a new cornea from an anonymous donor recovered shortly after their passing, Corlene is now seeing so much better and looking forward to a potential second transplant for her other eye, and getting back to school and work.

“Receiving this new cornea means everything to me. I definitely feel the world is my oyster and nothing can stop me now. I don’t have to just exist – I can be something now. I can go back to school, own and drive a car and have a job. This has changed my life forever. Now that I have this new eye, I can venture off and do wonders! I’m so grateful to my donor and their family for their gift.”