Life is hard and bad things sometimes happen to good people, but Doug always believed that out of every difficult situation, amazingly good things often come! He was the oldest of eight children and was raised knowing that he needed to be ready to sacrifice and to look out for the good of others.

So, when he had the chance to register as a donor, he was honored to do so for this life-giving and life-healing opportunity. Our family was blessed when Doug’s sister-in-law received a lung transplant, giving her the opportunity to be there for her daughter to get married and give birth to her first grandchild. Again, our family experienced the blessings of donation when Doug gave the gift of his corneas, although he would have wished to do so much more, despite his battle with an aggressive form of cancer.

We love the idea that someone is walking around with the gift of sight because of Doug’s corneas, and we hope it helps them “see” the needs of others too. As someone recently stated so beautifully, “Transplants don’t just help one person — they help all the people who love that person.”

TERESA SCHAEFFER & FAMILY
Wife and Family of Douglas Schaeffer, Cornea Donor