"My husband Terrence was everything to our family. He was a silly man by nature, a true class clown. One day he awoke and told me he wanted to take our children to daycare, something he had never done in all the years of our marriage. Being a nurse with lupus, currently in crisis, and more tired than I cared to admit, I said OK without a second thought. He kissed me, and off they went. You know hindsight is 20/20. If I'd known then what I know now, there is so much more I would have said that morning to him besides, 'love ya, see ya later, babe.' After having breakfast at McDonald's, they went to the daycare center, and he walked them to the door, kissed them on their heads, said 'I love you,' and watched them disappear into the building. When he could no longer see them, he turned, took two steps …
"Well, the Lord caught him in his arms and carried him home from that very moment. Blessedly, I get to tell my kids, dad loves you so much he gave you his very last breaths. We made the decision as a family to donate his cornea. Today, we feel great peace thinking that some great person gets to see the world through Dad's eyes, and his perspective was grand and beautiful, and in that vision, he lives on through someone else so he didn't pass in vain. My husband looked at things with the innocence of a child, the intelligence of a scholar, and the love, patience, and dedication of a parent. His eyes are the gems of our life, the most valuable piece of him, and our gift to the recipient of them because that's what he would have wanted. Thank you for allowing us to make his wishes a reality."
—Elizabeth A. Sanders-Lucas
