Volunteer Chaplain Donna Marquez knows what it means to lose a loved one in the line of duty. Her brother Don Marquez, a CPD Officer, was killed on the job in March 2002.
Donna, already a chaplain in her church, worked through her own grief by dedicating herself to comforting the families and loved ones of other fallen officers. Sponsored by the Darien Police Department, she consoles families throughout Cook and DuPage counties. A couple years ago, the onset of blurry vision, especially at night, worried Donna. Without the ability to drive, she would have to give up her personal mission.
Last summer, Donna decided to take action and contacted the General Eye Clinic of the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary for an appointment. She knew she had found the right place. “From the minute I walked in, everyone treated me so well,” Donna recalls. “People were smiling in the hallway!”
Dr. Adam Prickett, Third-Year Resident, diagnosed her with moderate cataracts in both eyes. He performed cataract surgery for the right eye in September 2013. At her one-week post-surgical follow up, her vision had improved to 20/15 without glasses. Dr. Prickett removed the cataract in her left eye the following October, achieving 20/20 vision without glasses in that eye.
“I have new eyes!” Donna said of her surgery. “I feel like I’m seeing in in ‘Technicolor’,” she added, describing her appreciation of “vivid greens” and a “bright red cardinal.” She now drives with confidence, even at night.
Dr. Prickett is pleased to have helped Donna continue her work as a chaplain. “She is so warm and friendly, it’s easy to see how she would fit right in at her job as a chaplain at the police department,” he said, noting that people should not hesitate to seek care when they first notice problems with their vision.
As for Donna, she is now exploring the possibility of extending her mission of comfort to include Illinois State Troopers.
And she cannot praise the Eye Infirmary team enough. “The doctors had genuine concern for me. The staff handled patients respectfully. I wasn’t just a number.
“This place is a class act.”
by Julie Daraska and Laurie Walker
Third-Year Resident Adam Prickett sees patients in the resident-run General Eye Clinic. He evaluated Donna under the supervision of Dr. Anthony Finder and performed the two cataract surgeries with Dr. Sandeep Jain and Dr. Ali Djalilian, both of the Cornea Service. “I am very grateful for the excellent training at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary which allowed me to achieve such a great result for Donna,” he said.