AJ
Cornea Donor
Student, musician, beloved son, brother, and fiancé, AJ was diagnosed with alveolar soft part sarcoma, a rare cancer at age 24.
Despite a tremendous fight, he passed away in January 2009. AJ's cornea donations gave a cornea transplant patient new hope and furthered knowledge of eye diseases through research.
Growing up, AJ was familiar with the topics of donation and transplantation. His father, Brian, is a Minnesota Lions club member and a cornea recipient. Because generous cornea donors restored his dad's vision, AJ had made sure that "DONOR" was on his first driver's license. If he could help another person in any way through donation, he wanted to do it. His cancer prevented all but eye donation, but AJ knew how precious was the gift of sight. Full story
who diagnosed keratoconus, a degenerative condition that leaves corneas misshapen and scarred, distorting vision.
