Cynthia Royal was a funny and joyful person. She was a jokester and the life of the party. She lived with and was very close to her sister, Pamela. Sadly, Cynthia was sick for most of her life. At 23 years old, she was diagnosed with kidney failure and was on dialysis for one and a half years. Of her older six siblings, it was determined that Pamela was the best match to be her living kidney donor. In 1983, Pamela and Cynthia underwent the removal and transplant surgeries. Cynthia’s life was transformed.

Unfortunately, around 2003, Cynthia’s body started to reject Pamela’s kidney. At this time, another sister stepped up to donate one of her kidneys. It was a 50% match. Days before Cynthia and her other sister were to undergo surgery, Cynthia was notified that a young woman in Tampa had passed and her kidney was a 100% match. They flew the new donor kidney to Fort Myers and Cynthia was able to have her second transplant surgery. Cynthia’s life was transformed again.

In 2018, Cynthia began to have severe back pain and was taken to the emergency room. She was diagnosed with advanced coronary heart disease. When she passed away, Pamela was approached at the hospital about cornea donation.

Cynthia was a fortunate recipient of two donated kidneys: one from a loved one and another from a heroic stranger. These gifts allowed her to spend time with her family and enjoy her life in ways that would not otherwise have been possible. Her family feels that eye donation was a way to pass her gifts on to someone else.

For more stories like Cynthia's, like us on Facebook.

Are you interested in telling your loved one's story? Send an email to James at jrosa@lionseyeinstitute.org.

Do you want to support cornea transplants made possible by donors like Cynthia? Make a gift to support the Lions Eye Institute Foundation.