Advocates of organ donation look to raise second chances

Livingston Daily

Photo: Former Brighton resident Nancy Dean, 75, received corneal transplants. Dean has Fuchs' dystrophy, a corneal disease that hindered her ability to read, drive, shop or play golf with friends. Donor advocates are looking to boost the number of registered donors in Michigan. / Photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

By the looks of it, Nancy Dean could easily have been mistaken for a Sherlock Holmes wannabe.

"I could not read," said the 75-year-old former Brighton resident. "I used a great, big, huge magnifying glass probably for a good two years."

Dean had Fuchs' dystrophy, a slow-progressing genetic corneal disease, which made it tough for her to read, drive, shop or play golf with friends.

"It was debilitating," she said. "There's no other way to put it."

Two corneal transplants from Ann Arbor-based Michigan Eye-Bank, first in her right eye in 2005 and then a year later in her left eye, help her to see clearly again.

"Without it, I'd probably be blind," said Dean, whose late mother also had the disease.Although officials are hopeful that the number of registered organ donors in the state has increased, it can't be certain, said Lisa Langley, the executive director of Michigan Eye-Bank.
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