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News & Stories

Colton Thompson

October 25, 2018

Photo of Colton Thompson holding a blue parakeet

Giving Back a Child’s Future

In the middle of a hot Michigan summer, Colton Thompson and his brothers set off to go fishing; Colton’s brother had saved up for a new lure, and it was time to test it out.

Along the water’s edge, Colton knelt to tie his shoe, just as his brother drew back the fishing rod. With the flick of a wrist, the lure caught Colton in his left eye. Colton’s parents, Katelyn and Jacob, rushed him to the hospital, at first receiving good news—rather than digging deep into the eye, the lure was embedded in Colton’s eyelid. It was possible the eye would heal on its own following emergency surgery to remove the lure.

But Colton’s vision regressed as a significant scar formed and grew in density, and he eventually kept his left eye closed because he had virtually no vision.

Thanks to a generous donor, Colton received a sight-restoring cornea transplant. Today, he isn’t scared to do any of the things he loves, like swimming and riding four-wheelers with his cousins or playing quarterback with his brothers during football. In a letter to the donor family, he wrote, “Thank you for donating a cornea for helping people see.”

Submitted by Eversight

Read more on: Recipient Stories

More News & Stories

Randall Miller
As my health improved, my eyesight in my surgically repaired cornea got stronger. With that, [I found] the push to understand and live a healthy lifestyle. Not only did this transplant help me take back my vision: It propelled me to a new way of living!
Dr. Maisha Gray Diggs
Dr. Maisha Gray Diggs suffered from a progressive eye disease that caused her vision to be blurry and distorted, making daily tasks very difficult. She became legally blind at the age of 26, but her vision was restored thanks to a double-corneal transplant.

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