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Next Board Meeting: Thursday March 14, 2013

Joanne was becoming a prisoner of her failing vision.  "It all began with a routine eye exam," explains Joanne.   "At first, I had no symptoms.  I simply thought I needed new eye glasses," Joanne recalls.  "After that exam in 2001 by my optometrist, he referred me to the corneal specialists at Wills Eye Institute."

At Wills Eye Institute she was diagnosed with Fuch's Cornea Dystrophy a progressively degenerative eye disease resulting in the clouding of the cornea with vision loss, usually in both eyes.  Joanne's symptoms were minimal and she was not quite ready for eye surgery.  She was apprehensive about the surgery and decided to not immediately proceed with a transplant.  "My doctors at Wills Eye said I would know when I was ready," recalls Joanne.    They told her advances in cornea transplants were always being made.

Slowly her vision began to change and cataracts developed.  Says Joanne, "It  took all my sight to get through work.  My eyes were exhausted at the end of the day."

In 2010, Joanne and her family in Pennsylvania excitedly prepared for the birth of a fourth grandchild.  Joanne organized a baby shower at her daughter's out-of-state home.  She remembers happily packing her car and travelling with her elderly mother who lived with Joanne.  Suddenly her sight started to change while she was driving that day.  She began to struggle to see road signs.  It was as if, without warning, her vision began an abrupt downward freefall.  Joanne became lost and realized it was not safe to proceed.  She carefully pulled into the closest parking lot and called for help.  Joanne now knew she was ready for her corneal transplant.

Do you want to know the rest of Joanne's story? Look out for our 2013 Edition of "forSight", due this spring!

To avoid the fiscal cliff and close the gap between spending and revenue, President Obama and Congressional leaders from both parties have proposed reducing the deductibility of charitable contributions. If enacted, this proposal would reduce the tax benefits of charitable donations and thus could result in lower contribution rates, something we rely on at the Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley.

"I am writing as a member of the nonprofit community to strongly oppose any attempts to limit or reduce the tax deduction for charitable contributions on personal income taxes. 

The current debate over the deficit and tax code reform has made the proposition of reducing the charitable deduction a possible revenue raiser for a number of items.  Various deficit reduction commissions have also proposed changing the deduction, ranging from reducing the deduction percentage to eliminating it completely.

The Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley is committed to enhancing a person's quality of life through cornea transplantation, medical research and education. In fulfilling our mission, we rely on the charitable donations of our supporters to operate and run our own charitable programs. Due to recent changes in healthcare legislation, many Americans find themselves under- or un-insured.  Our vision assistance programs, funded solely through charitable contributions, allow us to provide the necessary care for those in need. We routinely fund eye exams and glasses, but have also provided funding to cover cataract surgery and varying ocular procedures.

We ask that you oppose any reduction or elimination of the charitable deduction.  For more information, contact the Lions Eye Bank of Delaware Valley at 215-563-1679 or visit www.lebdv.org. "

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