Doreen Rollag has been a musician her entire life. She’s been singing with the Sweet Adelines for 46 years, and she’s been the organist for 60 years at Palisade Lutheran Church in western Rock County.
When she began losing vision in her left eye two years ago, she feared her music contributions might be over.
Fluid was accumulating behind her cornea, and when months of treatment didn’t improve the condition, she resigned herself to living with blurred vision.
But her doctor recommended a corneal transplant, a suggestion that came as a surprise to Rollag.
“I think some people might wonder about giving a cornea to a 92-year-old woman, but I guess they know I’m musical and I need my sight to play the organ and read music,” she said.
In April of 2018 a cornea became available, and a week later, on April 26, doctors replaced Rollag’s faulty cornea with the donated one, restoring her vision to 20-20.
The successful transplant was rewarding enough, but Rollag was most impacted by a series of events that followed through Dakota Lions Sight and Health.
The organization, which serves Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, connects eye and tissue donors with those who need transplants, and it facilitates communication between the two in order to create awareness of the impact of organ donation.
“Donor families want to know the gift goes on to help someone,” said CEO Marcy Dimond. “There’s a certain amount of healing in knowing that part of their loved one lives on to help someone.”
Several months after her surgery, Rollag received a letter from Dakota Lions Sight and Health encouraging her to write a thank-you note.
“They told me they’d located the family of the donor of my cornea and suggested that I write a letter expressing gratitude,” she said.
“I wasn’t to use my full name or include my address, but they would deliver my letter to the family.”
Rollag wasted no time reaching out. “I thanked them for my cornea and I told them why I needed it — so I could continue with my music,” she said. “I was grateful that I could send the letter.”
Several weeks later she found an envelope in her mailbox from Dakota Lions. In it was a handwritten letter from a woman named Marady with a message addressed to Doreen.
“Thank you for your kind note and gratitude,” the neat cursive handwriting stated. “It gave my shattered heart a little jump start.”
The letter explained that her 27-year-old daughter, Linda, died April 19, 2018, and they decided to donate her organs.
“Grieving the loss of a child is very overwhelming. However, knowing that a part of her is still here and that she is helping others gives me great comfort,” the letter stated.
“I hope that the gift of sight she gave you gives you many beautiful memories. … Again, thank you for the letter. I will always treasure it.”
Enclosed with the letter was a 2-by-3-inch photograph of a brown-eyed girl smiling over the shoulder of her mother. “Linda is the cutie with dark hair,” Marady wrote in a postscript. “Sometimes I swear I feel her peeking over my shoulder.”
Dakota Lions facilitated additional correspondence and in March invited Rollag to attend an April 13 luncheon, “Honoring Our Heroes,” for donor families and recipients in Sioux Falls.
“The Hilton ballroom was full of people there to honor their loved ones,” said Rollag, who was joined by others like herself who had received transplanted organs.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but I asked Karen (her daughter-in-law) to go with me, and we were so glad we did.”
In addition to sharing stories about eye, tissue and organ donations, the event honored organ donors and their families and celebrated with transplant recipients.
“There were big screens all around the room, and when they read the names of donors, their pictures appeared on the screens,” Rollag said.
“A woman at my table was teary-eyed when her husband’s photo was shown.”
Donor families received red roses, and transplant recipients — including Rollag — were given white roses.
“It was all so touching,” she said. “I was so impressed. I think it’s just wonderful that they do this for the families … and to show what good organ donation can do.”
Marady, who lives in Sturgis, wasn’t at the Sioux Falls event, but a similar event in Rapid City will be May 11. “I hope she goes,” Rollag said. “Her daughter should be honored.”
More information about Dakota Lions Sight and Health can be found at www.dakotasight.org.