Husband of cornea donor hopes her gift will inspire others
Marilyn Thomas, right, with Wendy Eagles at the Salcombe Regis Fair 2019. Picture: Tony Charnock - Credit: Picture: Tony Charnock
A Sidmouth woman who worked to help visually-impaired people has continued to benefit those with eyesight problems after her death. A
Marilyn Thomas, who died of cancer in January this year, had donated her corneas for transplant.
She was secretary and co-ordinator of the East Devon Talking Newspaper and also helped visually-impaired young people at the WESC Foundation in Exeter when her husband Haydn Thomas was deputy principal.
She has now been posthumously honoured with the Order of St John, which recognises tissue donors, and Mr Thomas has been told that her corneas have been transplanted into a 72-year-old man and an 83-year-old woman.
Mr Thomas said he hoped other people would be inspired to donate their corneas.
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He said: “I received confirmation of the transplant with a sense of sadness and pride in equal measure.
“It is wonderful for me to know that a part of Marilyn is still alive in the world and helping someone else to see.”
For more information on the talking newspaper, visit its website which now has a text-to-speech function.
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