Boy wants to thank donor’s family for eye 
By SHARON LEM, QMI Agency

TORONTO - Five months ago, 11-year-old Brandon Singh lost sight in his left eye after being hit by a tree branch.

The Grade 6 east Toronto student was out walking in October when he turned his head to speak to his brother and a tree branch punctured his left eye, rupturing it. The branch stopped just millimetres from entering his brain.

Following four surgeries to save the eye, Singh got news on Valentine's Day that a cornea had been donated.

He got the transplant at the Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto on Feb. 15.

Singh has no clue who the donor family is, but he has written them a note of thanks.

"I know that the family is feeling very sad and I feel very sorry for them. I hope to meet them one day because I want to thank them in person for giving me the eye," he said.

"It really means a lot to me. They gave me the eye of someone who isn't here anymore and because of that, I can see out of some part of the eye," said Singh, whose transplanted eye is blue. His other eye is brown.

Singh's mother, Suzanne Harwood-Jones, 31, said she hopes her son's story will encourage people to sign a organ donor card.

"This is a subject that many people probably think about, but put off for another day. No one wants to bank on a tragedy, but we hope more people will speak to their families about donating their organs and signing their organ donor cards," the mother of four said.

Everyone is a potential organ and tissue donor regardless of age. Anyone wishing to become a donor can do so when renewing a health card or by going to giftoflife.on.ca