Mat is one of 20 tissue and cornea transplant recipients whose lives were changed by Ami Abad.
	Mat's Story It was only six weeks earlier that Amaryllis "Ami" Abad experienced the asthma attack from which she would never recover. "It's been a very hard four years, very trying," said Mat Martin's longtime girlfriend, Darcy Alderman, about the time that has elapsed since Mat's 1997 accident. Both admit, however, that their lives would be even more difficult were it not for Ami's donation.

Donating bone and tissue can help make miracles

When you make the decision to donate the tissue of a loved one, you offer new hope to many others. Cancer patients, burn victims, children and adults with heart defects and people with serious trauma injuries are just a few examples of those who can be helped with donated tissue. The success rate of tissue transplants is high. Unfortunately, the supply of transplant tissue is not.

The Cornea and Cornea Transplants

The cornea is the clear front "window" to the eye through which light passes. It is the main focusing element. The normal cornea is completely transparent living tissue. Should the cornea become cloudy from disease, injury, infection or any other cause, vision will be dramatically reduced.

Fortunately, through the medical miracle of corneal transplantation, sight restoration is possible. A cornea transplant (keratoplasty) is the surgical procedure that replaces a disc-shaped segment of an impaired cornea with a similarly-shaped piece of healthy donor cornea. Cornea transplants are one of the most frequently performed human tissue transplants and have helped patients ranging in age from only a few days old to 103 years.

How can I register to become a donor?

There are three ways to join the donor registry: register online, register at the Department of Motor Vehicles or register at any event that has an organ or tissue donation booth.

A donor registry is a database of people who have decided to become organ and tissue donors. The donor registry listed here is designed specifically for Washington state and Montana residents. Every person can decide to donate their organs and tissue at the time of their death. In June 2003, organ and tissue recovery agencies such as Northwest Tissue Center, Northwest Lions Eye Bank and LifeCenter Northwest implemented laws recently enacted by the Montana and Washington state legislatures. These laws created a central and confidential registry of every Montana and Washington resident who has decided to be an organ and tissue donor. To learn more about ways to register or for more information, call 1-877-275-5269 or click here to go to the Living Legacy Registry.

To learn more about ways to register or for more information, call 1-877-275-5269 or click here to go to the Living Legacy Registry.