[Blindtlk] [blindtlk] transplants

Mon Nov 10 21:40:10 UTC 2014

At this point, as far as I know, the only part of the eye that can be transplanted is the cornea. The retina is an extension of the optic nerve. We are still not up to neural transplants. In some cases, an artificial lens can be implanted. If there is research on the internal musculature, I am not aware of it.
Most of the time, people get confused with a cornea transplant, and an eye transplant. The former is common, the second, as far as I know, has not been done.

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cheryl Echevarria via blindtlk
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2014 3:28 PM
To: 'Ineyda Velasquez'; 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] [blindtlk] transplants

No Cornea transplants are different from eye transplants, Cornea's only fix is there are cornea issues, they normally don't fix if you are totally blind or almost totally blind. 

Other transplants, you have to make sure your heart is in good condition, they need to monitor blood pressure, diabetes, make sure no cancer, you need to also go for colonoscopy, bone density tests, because transplant meds, elevate blood pressure, blood sugar, can cause cancer, can increase early bone problems within the body.

If you are looking for a fix to bring sight to yourself and others with that kind of surgery, I believe it is still in the planning and testing stages, but it could be out there in other countries, but the main thing is that we know what both sides of the coin are.

We have members like Art Schrieber who is a person who was a correspondent, who toured with the Beatles, he was sighted until late in life and woke on one morning blind, who is learning what it means to be blind. We have Dan Parker, who lost his sight while in a car race, he hasn't given up since he is blind now, and is still racing the race cars, and learning braille and other blind skills.

Even myself and others who have lost their sight as we got older from either illness or accident and not born blind, who have come through it with friends and family, and the National Federation of the Blind, some of us are luckier than others, where they live, but when there is a will there is a way of things. Not saying that anyone on this list is not trying their hardest to "Life the live the want" independently as they can do what they want.

In my case, when people say to me in that poor blind person kind of tone, I tell them well you know what God saved my life. I can either be blind or be dead while waiting for a kidney while I was on dialysis at the same time, and god sent me a kidney. So the rest may not be easier for me as a blind person, believe me it isn't, but it puts things in a different prospective, that live is too short, and we need to try our best while we are here in this world. 

Sincerely,

Cheryl Echevarria, Vice President
National Federation of the Blind, Greater Long Island Chapter A proud chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of New York State
631-236-5138
cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com
"Live the Life You Want"

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

Cheryl Echevarria is also the owner of Echevarria Travel www.echevarriatravel.com; 631-456-5394 or reservations at echevarriatravel.com and  has partnered with Braille Smith. www.braillesmith.com for all her braille needs.  Gail Smith is the Secretary of the NFB of Alabama

-----Original Message-----
From: Ineyda Velasquez [mailto:ivelasquez774 at gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2014 4:17 PM
To: Cheryl Echevarria
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] [blindtlk] transplants

And that's why I don't know if I'd want the cornial transplant. I'd have to take the meds and deal with possible rejection for it right? Or are they different? What qualifies someone for one?

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 10, 2014, at 4:05 PM, Cheryl Echevarria 
> <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
wrote:
> 
> President Carl Jacobsen, from the NFB of NY has Lebers.
> 
> Maybe reach out to him and discuss the eye diseases.
> 
> For myself who is a transplant survivor of a kidney, even though they 
> are different organs of the body, they still have to go through the 
> same testing and health issues, make sure you are well enough for your 
> body as a whole to receive a foreign organ.
> 
> The other thing is and we have had these discussions at our chapter, 
> the NFB of Greater Long Island, which I am the Vice President of, is 
> that for someone who may have been born without sight or limited 
> sight, that having something you never had would be a learning experience.
> 
> From learning how to read, learning how to write. People think that oh 
> wow if I had a transplant than everything would be better for me. It 
> might make it worse.
> 
> Example: you have been blind your whole life, you are 40 years old and 
> you are offered this eye transplant that will give you sight.
> 
> Some of the things to think about.
> 
> 1. I need to take transplant medications the rest of my life.
> 2. What is the transplant doesn't work or your body rejects it, I deal
with
> this on a daily bases.   It is not a cure transplant, it is a treatment.
> They are not like cornea transplants
> 3. Let's say you can see now what, sometimes your sight is distorted 
> and may not be able to see more than just a little bit.
> Or if it is a lot, they you will need to go back to school, and learn 
> to read, write, do math, science, learn money, banking, grocery shopping.
Etc.
> 
> 4. You would need someone to help in these areas, maybe even more than 
> someone who is blind.
> 
> The medical profession is always thinking about how to fix things, not 
> to deal with things, in life.
> 
> When they can't they feel like they have failed.
> 
> 
> Cheryl Echevarria, Vice President
> National Federation of the Blind, Greater Long Island Chapter A proud 
> chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of New York State
> 631-236-5138
> cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com
> "Live the Life You Want"
> 
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the 
> characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the 
> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create 
> obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life 
> you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
> 
> 
> Cheryl Echevarria is also the owner of Echevarria Travel 
> www.echevarriatravel.com; 631-456-5394 or 
> reservations at echevarriatravel.com and  has partnered with Braille 
> Smith. www.braillesmith.com for all her braille needs.  Gail Smith is 
> the Secretary of the NFB of Alabama
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of 
> Ineyda Velasquez via blindtlk
> Sent: Monday, November 10, 2014 3:56 PM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: [Blindtlk] [blindtlk] transplants
> 
> Hi,
> Someone asked me if I'd ever asked my eye doctor about getting a 
> transplant for the damaged parts of my eyes. Can that actually be done 
> or does it depend on the condition you have? I have Leber's congenital
amaurosis.
> 
> Ineyda
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
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