A few months ago, we shared with you the critical need for cornea transplants among many patients in Armenia. More than 100 Armenians were in need of a transplant to save their sight, but most could not afford the $800 cost to undergo surgery. We reached out and asked for your help.
As always, you — our wonderful friends and supporters — responded. We’ve received several donations from friends of the AECP who were willing to sponsor a cornea transplant for someone in need. As a result of your generosity, twelve individuals in Armenia — including a young teenager named Zhora — have received cornea transplants. Their eyesight has been restored!
And because of one special friend who contacted us when he saw our call for help, we now have access to the most important element for transplants: corneas.
We want to extend a big thank you to Paul Kayaian who referred us to The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration where he sits on the board of directors. The organization, located in New York City, has generously agreed to donate up to 12 corneas a month for surgeries in Armenia. These corneas will ensure that lack of tissue will never be the cause of blindness for those in need of a transplant in Armenia.
A heartfelt thank you to all those who came through for us — our talented cornea surgeon, Dr. Anna Hovakimyan, our amazing donors, Paul Kayaian, The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration and Patricia Dahl, Director of The Eye-Bank, who has worked very hard to provide the corneas and get them shipped to Armenia within 72 hours. We truly could not do our work without all of you.
