[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 31 (Thursday, March 11, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S2709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        NATIONAL EYE DONOR MONTH

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I rise today to bring to the 
attention of my colleagues and all of our constituents across the 
Nation that March is National Eye Donor Month. The first eye bank 
opened in 1944 and since then, over half a million Americans have 
received the gift of sight. Now, Americans throughout the country have 
the power to help restore sight to thousands of people in need. Mrs. 
Jeanne Bross, 65, can return to college in South Carolina with restored 
sight after receiving a corneal transplant in a Birmingham, AL 
hospital. This amazing turn in her life would not have been easy 
without someone giving the precious gift of sight.
  The purpose of Eye Donor Month is to educate each and every American 
family to the opportunity to give the gift of sight and to make a 
terrific difference in someone's life. This month marks an opportunity 
to celebrate the gift of sight, to raise public awareness and to honor 
past donors and their families. The process to become a donor takes 
just minutes. All a donor needs to do is sign a donor card and most 
importantly, discuss their donation wishes with their family.
  Last year over 46,000 Americans had their sight restored through the 
miracle of corneal transplantation. This year, thousands of Americans 
will require a sight restoring cornea transplant due to the continual 
need for cornea and tissue. Our eye banks across the Nation, along with 
the Eye Bank Association of America, work to ensure that all of these 
Americans will receive the tissue they need. It is also important to 
note that there are ever changing strict standards, screening 
procedures and accreditation programs in place to ensure that each of 
the recipients receives safe tissue, achieving a success rate of over 
90 percent.
  As National Eye Donor Month proceeds, I encourage my colleagues to 
work with their local eye banks to increase public awareness of corneal 
transplantation and the continuous need for donors. I appreciate the 
opportunity to highlight Eye Donor Month and again, encourage all 
Americans to sign a donor card and speak with their families about 
their wishes.

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