NOVEMBER 2022 | VOL 11

NOVEMBER IS EYE DONATION MONTH

November is Eye Donation Month! This month, the Eye Bank Association of America and member eye banks throughout the U.S. and internationally are raising awareness about the life-changing opportunities created through eye donation. The purpose of Eye Donation Month is to:

• Raise awareness about cornea donation and transplantation
• Honor the gift of sight given by selfless donors and their families
• Celebrate cornea transplant recipients living their fullest lives thanks to the generosity of donors
• Educate the public about eye donation and encourage individuals to register as donors

An estimated 12 million people around the world suffer from corneal blindness that could be restored with a cornea transplant. Eye banks, such as Florida Lions Eye Bank, facilitate the life-transforming process of cornea transplantation. Since 1961, eye banks have restored sight to more than 2 million individuals worldwide. Over 65,000 of these recipients regained their sight with tissue provided by Florida Lions Eye Bank. 

Visit the Eye Bank Association of America to access pictures, videos, and materials that you can use to spread the word about the importance of eye donation on social media. Remember to use #eyedonationmonth on your social posts!

FLORIDA LIONS EYE BANK CELEBRATES EYE DONOR

RICKY HURWITZ

On November 3, 2022, Florida Lions Eye Bank attended an event at Miami Beach Botanical Gardens celebrating the life and legacy of eye, organ, and tissue donor Ricky Hurwitz. Alongside Ricky’s friends, family, and our partners Legacy Donor Services and Life Alliance Organ Procurement Organization, we commemorated the priceless gifts Ricky gave to two corneal transplant recipients, five organ transplant recipients, and dozens of tissue graft recipients.

Ricky tragically passed away in a car accident in 2018. He was just 18 years old at the time. Despite his young age, Ricky had spoken openly about his passion for donation.

“I remembered the conversation my son and I had because he willingly wanted to become a donor,” said his mother, Legia. “He thought about that on his own, so the fact that we already had that conversation when I was faced with this really difficult, horrible situation, I really knew that’s something we had to do and follow through on his wish.”

Every year, eye, organ, and tissue donors are honored during the Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA, where portraits of donors from across the United States are displayed on a floral-themed float sponsored by Donate Life America. Ricky’s portrait, made of flowers, seeds, and other plant materials, will adorn Donate Life America’s float on Monday, January 2, 2023. The portrait, called a floragraph, was unveiled to his family at the November 3 event. 

Florida Lions Eye Bank is proud to show our community the impact that eye, organ, and tissue donation can have. We are immensely grateful to Ricky, his family, and all our eye donors, who make our work possible.

Ricky’s family with his floragraph, which will adorn Donate Life America’s float during the 134^th Annual Rose Parade.

FLORIDA LIONS EYE BANK JOINS GIVING TUESDAY

GLOBAL GENEROSITY MOVEMENT

For nine consecutive years, Florida Lions Eye Bank has joined Giving Tuesday to support vision-related causes at the heart of our organization. We are grateful for the support we have received over the years and are counting on your generosity to continue restoring the beauty of sight. Please stay tuned for more communications from Florida Lions Eye Bank.