Benefit Planned for Minnesota Zoo Employee Fighting Eyesight-Damaging Infection

When Hayley Bester experienced some eye irritation last August while on her Alaskan honeymoon cruise, she took out her contacts, put on her glasses and thought nothing of it.

Once home, that irritation turned into excruciating pain and light sensitivity, eventually sending her to optical specialists who diagnosed a rare parasitic infection that was damaging her right eye, and her sight, from the inside out.

One of the ways the parasite, called acanthamoeba, can reach the eye's cornea and cause havoc is through improper handling of contact lenses—by reusing solution and exposure to water.

Ever since, Hayley—who works part-time job providing first aid at the and is a —and her new husband Roy have been dealing with exhausting medication schedules, doctor visits, lost time at work and even a trip to Canada for an experimental treatment.

Bester has since had to curtail her work with the zoo and Mendota Heights Fire Department, as well as her full-time position with the Kurtz Industrial Fire Department at Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend Refinery.

“It’s been hard for her because she was so active,” said Mendota Heights firefighter Steve Abrahamson.

Through the exhaustive treatments and attentive care of her doctors, Bester’s sight is now on the mend, but the family’s challenges are far from over.

The Mendota Heights Fire Department has organized a benefit for Hayley and Roy to help pay for medical bills and expenses incurred from the ordeal and the lost time at work.

“My eye condition has been quite the unwelcomed experience, but I have been able to manage it with optimism because of the encouragement, support, and prayers from my husband, our relative(s), friends, and our fire-family,” said Bester in an email. “Roy and I are not at all surprised by the generous hearts of the people in our life, but we are deeply humbled and grateful for what everyone has been willing to do for us to help lift a bit of the weight off of our shoulders.”

A spaghetti dinner, live music by Sandy and the Hitmen and silent auction are scheduled for 3-8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 25 at the in Mendota. Entry is $10.

“I hope that with the event that the Fire Department is putting on for us and with any other attention we receive from this that people learn how delicate our vision is. How fragile and vulnerable our eyes are, especially for people who use contact lenses,” said Bester. 

Those who would like to help prepare for the event can donate goods for the silent auction, and volunteers may still be needed to help run the event.

If you can’t attend the spaghetti dinner on Feb. 25, donations can also be made to a fund set up for Hayley and Roy at in Mendota Heights:

Please make check payable to “Hayley Bester Benefit”

c/o Gateway Bank

745 Market Street

Mendota Heights, MN 55118

To follow Bester's recovery, visit her Caring Bridge site.