We often use the word “legacy” to describe the incredible gift of sight given to a grateful recipient by a person who became a cornea donor. Through the act of cornea donation, the gift of sight is given to a perfect stranger by an individual and impacts the recipient (s) and their community’s lives in ways the donor will never know. Sage, an 18-year-old young lady from Montana, left her legacy, her spirit, and her love on this earth. Sage was born to Camille and Paul and lived in Bozeman, Montana, with her two older brothers, Zach and Jordan. She was a force in this world and always loved a challenge. Whether it was academics, gymnastics, rodeo, or light rifle shooting, she always pushed herself to be her best. While she did enjoy her successes, Sage also knew she could not win every time and learned how to be comfortable with her losses. Sage was a gymnast from a young age and loved the sport for both its athletic gracefulness and the “sisterhood” — Sage was very social and easily made friends. Both of her brothers participated in rodeo, and often Sage would attend their events. She loved everything about rodeo, and as she grew, she started to participate; it became her number one passion. Sage also excelled in academics with math being her favorite. Paul describes her as a “math nerd”. One of her dreams was to serve her country in the military, fueled by her admiration for her grandfather who served as a Marine. Sage was accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy, which was perfect for her both academically and athletically. Her plans, however, were changed by cold, outside forces. During her physical examination for the academy, cancer was discovered. This diagnosis did not cease her determination. Instead, it just changed her course. Sage enrolled at Montana Tech in hopes of pursuing a career in engineering. By the beginning of 2019, Sage’s cancer had spread too much for her body to handle. On January 23, her presence left our world as we know it, but her spirit continued in countless ways. While devastated by the loss of their daughter, Paul and Camille knew that Sage wanted to be a donor, if possible, as she registered as a donor as soon as she got her driver’s license. It only made sense as Sage was so kind and giving to her community. Despite the cancer, Sage was able to donate both her corneas which brought sight to two different people. 15
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