Before Leslie Palacios received two new corneas, her life was a blur.
The Grand Rapids mom of two struggled to read, to cook, to see her son play football and her triathlete husband cross the finish line.
Glasses were no help. Leslie had a hereditary condition called granular dystrophy, and her eyesight was like looking through Vaseline smeared on glass. Her vision would continue to deteriorate without a cornea transplant.
Those gifts came in 2010 and 2012, and Leslie couldn’t wait to volunteer for Gift of Life Michigan and Eversight so she could share her story of how transplants saved her vision.
Her help has been critical: Leslie has talked about her gifts in Spanish for more than a decade to help educate Latino communities about the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. It changed her life, and she wants to help change others.
“Sometimes Hispanic people don’t want to donate because of a difference in cultures,” Leslie said. “They don’t understand how it works. After I tell them about it, they understand better.”
She attends Hispanic festivals and community activities in West Michigan, including Gift of Life’s annual Grand Rapids signature event Done Vida Noche en el Zoológico, to reach potential donors who might not get the information anyplace else.
“We wouldn’t have the impact at these events without Leslie — we couldn’t communicate,” said Alison Gillum, senior community relations coordinator at Gift of Life. “Her message is so genuine and authentic. You can see her making a connection. Faces light up. She really helps us move the needle in the Hispanic community.”
Reaching Spanish-speaking communities is crucial, Alison said. Hispanic people on the organ transplant waiting list are more likely to be a match with someone from the same ethnic background. And their opportunities to learn can be limited because of language barriers.
Leslie said every person she reaches could become a life-saving donor.
“I volunteer because this isn’t just something I needed — other people need transplants, too.”
That includes her daughter, Stephanie, 20, who has the same hereditary condition.
“Stephanie’s vision is stable now, but she’ll need a cornea transplant,” Leslie said. “I want her to have the same opportunity I had. I always say thank you to my donor and thank you to God that I had this opportunity to see again.
“When I share my story in Spanish, a lot of people say, ‘I never heard this in Spanish before,’” Leslie said. “I’m happy to tell them.”
Gift of Life is looking for more volunteers to help save lives. Go to golm.org/volunteer to learn how you can help.
