1. Which tissue did you receive, and in what year?
Bilateral corneal transplants in 2019.

2. How long were you on the waiting list?
I didn’t wait, my medical aid covered the cost of imported tissue.

3. What was life like before the transplant? How did you spend your days?
I set up a Foundation to help others with corneal blindness. It’s called The Eyes2Eyes Foundation and we work with public hospitals in the Western and Eastern Cape.

4. Describe the moment you were told donor tissue  had become available. What emotions did you experience?
The call for me was more of a decision by my doctor that the parasitic infection causing my blindness was no longer active and any remaining parasites would be removed in the transplant process. It was a very exciting step as I had lived through utter hell with the pain of my condition and feeling helpless about life without sight.

5. What is life like now after the transplant? 
Absolutely fantastic. It took a while for my sight to return as I developed cataract blindness after the transplant and they had to wait until the sutures were removed (18 months) before tackling the cataract. So I had a double experience of being blind again.

6. What advice would you give patients on the waiting list?
Don’t lose hope. Reach out to crowd-funding organisation if you need to raise funds to import tissue. Transplants in private care are expensive and if you are on the state waiting list, it may be a very long wait. We receive many enquiries for financial assistance from public health patients and I always assist them to raise the funds they need.

7. Why do you think there is a shortage of donors in South Africa?
Because of a lack of awareness and myths around organ procurement practises.

8. If you could describe the gift of donation in one word, what would it be?
Miraculous!