Amber, cornea recipient

A licensed nail technician and recent honors graduate in medical billing and coding, Amber had just begun a new job when she was diagnosed with keratoconus. The disorder caused her cornea — the clear, dome-shaped front surface of your eye — to thin and gradually bulge outward into a cone shape, resulting in blurred vision and sensitivity to light and glare. Five years later, the progressive cornea disease left her legally blind. Today, she is a bilateral cornea transplant recipient and a passionate ambassador for donation. “We take sight for granted,” she said. “To see dirt, to drive, to play with grandchildren — it’s an amazing thing.”

Story provided by AMAT.