| Story of a
Donor |
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Mrs. Jewett called one evening in August. This
gently spoken woman with a warm British accent
requested information about obtaining permission for
eye donation. She explained that her husband John,
was quite ill and had expressed a desire to be an
eye donor. She wanted to be certain that she would
be able to carry out his wishes. After discussing
the details of obtaining consent, and being assured
that she would be able to carry out her husband's
wishes, she conveyed some thoughts on eye donation
that she and her husband shared. She expressed their
feelings of how precious and tenuous sight is and
their delight in the visual experiences of their
lives. It was their desire to pass on these
experiences of sight to someone less fortunate than
themselves.An architect and an artist, John (Jack)
Jewett attended the School of Architecture at
Columbia University. He traveled much of the world,
documenting his impressions of the places he had
seen. His renderings include water colors, pencil
drawings, etchings and dry point. Each of his
etchings is accompanied by a brief and charming
narrative. The nursing staff who cared for Mr.
Jewett told of the enthusiasm with which he shared
the stories of his travels and how very much they
enjoyed his tales.
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Mr. Jewett not only wished to
provide the Gift of Sight as an eye donor, but it
was also his wish to give one of his impressions of
the world - an etching - to the recipient of his
precious gift. Because the eye bank is unable to
exchange information between donor and recipient,
the Jewett's decided to share one of his visual
impressions of France by donating his etching
entitled 'Town Gate' (1929) to Georgia Eye Bank. Mr.
Jewett remembers 'Town Gate': ''this was the narrow
portal to Villeneuve sur Yvonne on the main route
from Paris to Lyons and the south of France. All
traffic had to squeeze through it and narrow streets
in the town itself. Whether it has been passed by
today I do not know.'' When he died, John H. Jewett
joined the Fight Against Blindness by becoming an
eye donor. His stories of the world, his art and his
precious gift leave a legacy of sight and a vision
of life.
| Dear Georgia Eye Bank,
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My husband would be deeply honored if he knew his
eyes were helping others have the gift of sight. I
thought I would put a face on one of your donors so it
would be more real to you. Your work is greatly
appreciated and I commend you highly for caring for
people in need. Thank you for giving my husband this
privilege.
Wife of a donor.
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Dear Eye Recipient, |
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I hope all is going well for you. Life can be a struggle
but if we can always say Thank You for the positive
things we do have, it does help. My son James was the
donor for your cornea transplant. He was a loving,
vibrant, caring person with a big heart. If you would
like to know more I could tell you more about him. We
have a loving supporting family and wonder about you.
Thank you.
Mother of a donor.
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