Jana of St. Charles, Mo. was an active high school soccer and volleyball player when she was diagnosed with a corneal ulcer that became infected with the bacteria pseudomonas. Although the infection cleared, it created a scar over one of her corneas, stealing both her vision and her freedom. The loss of vision was especially heartbreaking when she returned to the volleyball court.

"I played my senior year of high school, but that doesn't mean it wasn't hard," said Jana. "Since one of my eyes had been impaired, I had lost the ability to have a sense of depth perception and speed. It came as a shock when my dad threw me a ball, and I couldn't catch it. I had to relearn everything, all of the basics. I had to learn a whole new game of volleyball. Once a starter on the team, I was now a person who had to relearn how to pass a volleyball."

Finally, in November 2008, Jana underwent a corneal transplant using donated tissue from a generous eye donor and Heartland Lions Eye Banks in Missouri. Although her recovery was slow, Jana is back to playing both volleyball and soccer and is completing her freshman year at the University of Tampa. Because of her eye donor's gift and the difference it made on her life, Jana continues to be a public supporter of eye, organ and tissue donation. "I make a conscious effort at telling people my story and encouraging them to become organ donors. A lot of people are misinformed about organ donation, and I help them get the right information. Also people think of major organs that need to be donated and don?t realize all the smaller items that can enhance somebody?s life tenfold, like a cornea.