THE LIONS EYE BANK FOR LONG ISLAND

THE LIONS EYE BANK FOR LONG ISLAND

NORTH SHORE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL - MANHASSET, NEW YORK

516-465-8430

2000

High School Essay Contest

The Lions Eye Bank for Long Island, Brooklyn & Queens sponsored our Annual High School Essay Contest. This year there were over 40 essay contest entries from Lions Districts 20 - K1, 20 - K2 and 20 - S. Each year the Lions Eye Bank asks our local high school students to write an essay about sight restoration.

Prizes: First Place Winner receives $1,000 Savings Bond.

Second Place Winner receives a $ 500 savings Bond.

Third Place (2) Winners will receive a $250 Savings Bond.

Topic:

"An Eye Bank on Long Island provides Quality Corneal Tissue to people in need of a corneal transplant. This tissue comes from those people who have passed away and their families have donated their eyes".

Subject:

" Why do you think it is significant to have an Eye Bank on Long Island. And would you be willing to donate your own eyes after you die to help someone see again".

All entries were judged on content and quality of writing.

And the Winner's Are.......

1st Place Winner and recipient of a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond :

Kate Yoon of Great Neck !

2nd Place Winner and recipient of a $500 U.S. Savings Bond :

Elizabeth A. Sullivan of Lindenhurst !

3rd Place Winner and recipient of a $250 U.S. Savings Bond :

Daria Blyskal of East Islip and Devon Clarke of Brooklyn!

Congratulations to our winners !!

1st Place Winner - Kate Yoon of Great Neck !

(l) to (r) Lions Eye Bank for Long Island, Past Chairman of the Board of Directors, Lion - Elliot Krakauer , 1st Place High School Essay Contest Winner - Kate Yoon and her mother, - Lions Eye Bank for Long Island, Medical Director, Henry D. Perry, M.D., Lion - John Pinnella, President of the Great Neck Lions Club

The First Place Winning Essay

The shadows dance in the corners of my room. My heart beats faster, my imagination runs away with my thoughts, and deep in the pit of my chest, I feel fear slowly curl around my heart. I see the darkness, but cannot see what it hides. A whimper gathers in the back of my throat as I start running, running towards the light and the warmly illuminated room that is safe, that holds no uncertainties. I run from the dark and from the fear of the unknown. Close your eyes. Now pretend that the empty solid wall of black before you, will stand between you and your light forever.

There are those who have lost their sight, those who have lost the ability to see the beauty of the world and all its brilliant colors. They have lost the gift of beholding a loved one's face, the pleasure of watching a movie or a sunset. They have lost the freedom to drive, to go where they wish to go. They have lost a world of miracles that many take for granted. What they see is darkness. Some have faded memories of a blue sky, others have never had the chance to even see the sky. They have never seen fields of green grass, or the vast oceans of aqua. We as a race have so much. We have grown intellectually and have advanced technologically. Today, it is possible to save someone's sight. Humans, as a species, have never been known to give up. We fight sickness and death with unflagging stubbornness. We have achieved a level of consciousness that many animals cannot even conceive of. Why give into the darkness?

We are defeated when generosity and kindness are lost. We are defeated when we forget the gift that we have the power to bestow on another. We are defeated when we give to death what we could have given to life. Establishing an eye bank on Long Island would increase awareness of the option of donating one's cornea to another. It would provide a focus for those who want to fight the darkness. It would be another fort set up to fight the war.

I never realized, never thought about whether or not I wanted to donate my eyes in the case of my own death. Thinking about death is a pastime that many do not want to, and refuse to ponder. However, donating one's eyes, or any other body part for that matter, is not about death. It is about life. It is about giving another person a chance to see the color of their mother's eyes, or to see the simple beauty of a yellow daisy. When I close my eyes, and look deep into the darkness, I cannot see my favorite color. I cannot imagine the magnificence of a snow storm. I cannot find my family. It is as if I am lost. To never open my eyes again, to live as if encased on a world of empty space, send shoots of fear and desolation straight to my spirit. Would I donate my eyes? Would I give another the chance to see a rainbow? Yes, I would.

Kate Yoon

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Authored by Stephen G. Knapik, R.N., B.S., CPTC, CEBT

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