Janis Babson
| Janis Anne Babson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 9, 1950 Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | May 12, 1961 (aged 10) Ottawa, Ontario Canada |
| Cause of death | Leukemia |
Janis Anne Babson (September 9, 1950 – May 12, 1961) was a Canadian girl who received posthumous acclaim with the donation of her corneas for transplant after her death from leukemia at the age of 10. Her story was reported in a newspaper article syndicated across Canada, inspiring two books and other memorials. When Janis died of leukemia in 1961, corneal transplantation was a relatively unknown procedure. Although parents who lose young children frequently donate some of their organs to others, Janis's bequest was significant because the donation of her eyes at her death was her own idea, and it inspired many other people—across Canada and elsewhere—to become cornea donors as well.
Janis happened to see a television program sponsored by an eye bank after watching National Velvet, a program she loved because of her passion for horses. When her youngest brother fell asleep on her lap, she did not want to wake him and remained in front of the television set when a White Cane Week special aired. The program's hosts explained how some cases of blindness could be cured with corneal donations, restoring a recipient's eyesight. After the program Janis, moved, told her mother and father that when she died she wanted to donate her eyes to the Eye Bank. Her parents—Harry Rudolphe (Rudy) Babson, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Rita Quinn Babson—knew their daughter was serious about the gift, but it was a big decision for such a young girl.
In early 1959, when Janis was eight years old, her mother noticed that she had lost her energy and appetite. Her father took her to the family pediatrician who noted a great increase in white blood cells from a sample he took. He ordered additional tests and referred her to hematologist Alexander English at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. The tests revealed that Janis was suffering from a sub-acute form of leukemia. At that time, leukemia was invariably fatal; with the chemotherapy available, Janis was expected to live about a year. She responded well to treatments which slowed the advance of the leukemia, and survived about 26 months after her diagnosis.
...
Wikipedia