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In 1991 Cheryl Tisdale was working at a manufacturing plant when the thick rubber banner surrounding a packing crate snapped off and struck her left eye. The blow damaged her cornea, and she received a transplant in an attempt to save her sight. The surgery required a year-long recovery that limited her at work and at home.

Cheryl’s five kids went to live with her mom for a few months so Cheryl wouldn’t risk damaging the new cornea. She still had to cook, clean, cut the grass, and maintain her home on her own. After a year she was more independent and could start working again, the visual acuity in her left eye was still only 20/200.

As always, Cheryl did the best she could with what she had. She went back to work at the plant but was limited in what she could do. She wasn’t allowed to lift heavy objects, and she found it difficult to drive with only one good eye. Cheryl’s vision especially affected her ability to see in bad weather and at night, and it terrified her that when she drove she was putting not only herself in danger but her kids as well.

Cheryl later moved to north Georgia looking for a better career, and she found it at Georgia Mountain Community Services (GMCS). Every day she drove more than 80 miles to work with mentally handicapped adults. She was a job coach, secretary, chauffer, anything that was needed. Cheryl was learning, growing, and enjoying her career when the company moved an additional 20 miles away. She decided the commute would be too much and it was time to move on. She left the job at GMCS thinking she wouldn’t be out of work long, but then the economy took a turn for the worse.

Last November Cheryl was unemployed and had no insurance when her left eye started to hurt. The pain was debilitating; she describes it as “like having a migraine, all the time.” Seventeen years after the initial transplant her body was rejecting the graft. Friends stepped in to help take care of her daily needs, but the pain was so intense it was difficult to function.

An optometrist told Cheryl to see a specialist, but she knew she would not be able to afford the $8,000 for a second surgery. She went to a former doctor for help and was referred to the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation. Cheryl submitted her application at the end of July, and by early September received her surgery. She has been pain-free since then.

“My vision is 20/40 in my left eye,” she says, “and the doctors say they expect it to continue to improve. I’m pleased with what vision I have, because before I didn’t even have that much. The fact that I got the old tissue out was a blessing in itself. I just wanted to take that eye out of my head. I’m just really grateful.”

With her new cornea Cheryl’s comfort driving and her ability to read have improved immensely. She is back to reading her favorite thrillers and love stories, but she also reads with a new purpose. At forty-four, Cheryl is going back to school and studying business. She plans to open her own clothing store in Lithonia.

Cheryl credits the Lighthouse and its supporters for her new life. “The Lighthouse is a wonderful program. It helps a whole lot of people who wouldn’t have that chance to see again, and it gives them a second chance at life. I’m so grateful to get my sight back.”