Illinois woman may regain sight after receiving O'Bannon cornea

MUNSTER, Ind. -- A 76-year-old Illinois woman may regain the independence for which she long has hoped, thanks to late Gov. Frank O'Bannon.\nBetty Lindsey of Merrionette Park in Chicago's south suburbs received a cornea donated by O'Bannon after he died from a stroke Sept. 13 in a Chicago hospital.\nAfter being widowed in 1962, Lindsey had grown accustomed to doing things on her own, including taking frequent walks and driving herself to the store and to medical appointments.\nHer left eye went dark after cataract surgery in April. Since she had lost her sight in one eye, she had to surrender her driver's license. Now she must rely on relatives or hired drivers for transportation.\nWith the transplanted cornea, her eyesight remains hazy, but doctors hope Lindsey will be able to regain enough sight within six months, so that she can resume her former activities.\n"I want to say thank you, but I know he can't hear me," Lindsey said of O'Bannon. "I'll keep this and I'll treasure it."\nShortly after Lindsey underwent the transplant on Sept. 15 -- two days after doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital removed the governor from life support -- medical personnel told her she had received the cornea of a famous person.\n"All I could think of was Gov. O'Bannon," she said, speaking from her home Friday. "Before I went in for surgery, I saw all of the news stories on him and how he died in Chicago."\nThe governor's gift, made possible by his signature on his driver's license, specified that tissue or organs could be removed from his body after death for transplant, medical or educational purposes.\nFormer first lady Judy O'Bannon learned the identity of the organ recipient from a story that aired on WISH-TV in Indianapolis last week. She said she and her husband decided to become organ donors while O'Bannon was lieutenant governor.\n"Think of how many corneas are just wasted and how many people need to see," she said. "What a wonderful thing to be able to give."\nO'Bannon supported organ donation during his tenure as governor. In May 2001, he signed two pieces of legislation intended to ensure that the wishes of organ donors were honored. O'Bannon also created a statewide system to register donors.