Even after 55 years of caring for donor families and recipients, we are still touched by each story of an individual receiving the gift of sight through cornea transplantation.  

As part of our "where are they now" series, we decided to check in with Norman Mason, who worked fitting insulation on aircraft carriers in the Philadelphia Naval Yard when he began having trouble navigating the ships at night.

Eye problems had always plagued Norm. To read, Norm held reading material 3 to 4 inches away from his eyes.  In 1972, Norm was diagnosed with keratoconous. Wearing hard contact lenses helped but they were difficult to wear. "My eyesight was worsening and I wondered how I could work and adequately care for my family," Norm recalls. His diagnosis came at a time when there was a cornea waiting list and it was not uncommon to wait years in darkness. "I was extremely fearful for my future and I did not understand completely what a cornea transplant would mean."

Norm's fear of receiving a transplant diminished and he was placed on a waiting list to receive a cornea. After six weeks, he remembers that day in 1983 when the call came for him to report to Wills Eye Hospital, where he had his first transplant. Discharged after three inpatient days, his vision steadily improved over the next year. His second transplant was done in 1986.

Today, Norm is happy to report that both transplants are successful and he is "doing just fine." Forty years ago, he was worried that he would not be able to watch his daughter grow up and as a parent he would miss important milestones in her life. Because of the generosity of a donor family, Norm not only watched his daughter grow up, he has also seen the birth of his three beautiful grandchildren. "I like to spend as much time with my daughter and grandkids as possible," Norm says. Though it has been many years since his transplants, he is no less grateful for the gift from his donors and the donor's families. Because of them, Norm can live his life to the fullest each day.