A couple's gift to NKCF
When Mitchell and Carrie Wolff were planning their January 2010 wedding, they decided to ask guests for a rather unusual gift."We're fortunate enough to already have plenty of household appliances and felt like we needed less stuff," Mitchell Wolff says. "We decided, if people felt they had to give something, they could make donations to *the National Keratoconus Foundation. I've struggled with keratoconus and had the benefit of the best medical procedures and top doctors. We want to do our part to make sure others who may be less fortunate can get the same benefit."
Wolff was diagnosed with KC at age 17 and has since undergone two corneal transplants and Intacs surgery; he currently wears corrective lenses, which makes his vision around 20/30 in both eyes. Carrie was by his side during two of his surgeries and Wolff jokes that his new spouse has borne the brunt of his poor night driving.
Wolff, an Ohio native, recalls how helpful he found NKCF materials while he was growing up, both in helping showing him there is help available. "People often don't realize there is a solution," he says. "KC is treatable. We want to make sure people are educated about KC – especially kids – so they can understand what they are dealing with and that there is hope."
The Dallas-based couple let their wedding guests know about their donation request, and NKCF set up a special web page for their guests and donors, which has raised more than $4,000 to date.
Posted December 2010
*The National Keratoconus Foundation became a program of the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, UC Irvine in 2016.