Seeing Lindsey

We still talk about the day she came home from school after getting her glasses and announced, “I never knew there were pictures above the chalk board!” She was 8 years old, in the 3rd grade, and had finally been diagnosed with  a Corneal Dystrophy.  

Corneal Dystrophies are a group of genetic, often progressive, eye disorders...they may not cause symptoms in some individuals; in others they may cause significant vision impairment.

My sister has the latter. 

Officially, Lindsey has Posterior Polymorphous Corneal Dystrophy (PPMD, PPCD), also known as Schlichting dystrophy.  PPMD is a subtype of congenital hereditary corneal dystrophies, which often result in corneal edema of the stroma and degradation directly affecting vision (notice the large black holes in Lindsey’s corneas vs the normal cornea tissue)

The ophthalmologist told my parents then that while glasses would improve her vision for now,  her eyesight would continue to fail over the course of her life. The only “fix” to this degenerative disorder is a Cornea Transplant, a surgical procedure to replace part of the cornea with corneal tissue from a donor. 

She married her high school sweetheart, had two wonderful kids and after 10 years of being a stay at home mom, God opened a door for her at the local hometown pharmacy. 

She eventually found her true calling behind a camera....I believe God speaks to her through the lense; she has an incredible talent in capturing all things made in His glory. She can’t resist a pretty sunset or a cool old windmill. 

A few months ago we realized she had stopped taking pictures (she had already given up crocheting). She told us she just got too busy. She finally confessed she was making mistakes at work because she her vision had gotten so bad.   A recent trip to a Cornea specialist confirmed what we knew had been coming for the past 28 years...she is at the point where a Cornea Transplant is her only option for continued sight.  

The pharmacy my sister works at is so small they don’t provide their employees with insurance and she doesn’t make enough to carry her own.  The cash price for her transplant is $7,500...per eye. That’s $15,000 to keep her vision.  She would kill me if she knew I was doing this, but she’s exhausted all other options. 

My sister is a phenomenal photographer, an even better mom and wife, and has always put others before herself.  She loves God and her babies, and has a peace and calm in her soul that most of us will never know. She has a knack for finding the good in every situation and keeps telling all of us “it will all be alright”...and I want it to be for her and her little family. Please help with what you can. 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. - Psalm 119:105