Political Quotes

“this year, due to the rapid and tremendous advancements in our knowledge and in the science of organ transplantation, thousands of Americans will receive a life-saving organ transplant. These advances have allowed us to save the lives of patients who were once not considered candidates for transplantation. As a heart and lung transplant surgeon, I have had the opportunity to watch the field develop and grow over the past three decades. I remember my own experiences--of conducting some of the first transplants using hearts and lungs--and recognize our tremendous progress since that time. And I also know the hundreds of my own patients who live improved lives due to advances in transplantation. But I have also shared in the grief of patients who died before they could receive a transplant--a direct result of a large and growing shortage of organ donors. Medical advances have produced a staggering increase in the number of eligible transplant candidates, while the supply of organs fails to keep pace. Today, more than 80,000 patients await a transplant (a four-fold increase from just over a decade ago). At the same time, more patients die each year before they can receive that life-saving organ.”