Political Quotes

“S. Res. 377 is the resolution honoring the life of Dr. Norman Shumway and expressing condolences on behalf of this body. I wish to pay tribute to a medical pioneer, a man who inaugurated a new era of medicine, my mentor in surgery and friend. Sadly, Dr. Shumway passed away late last week at the age of 83. He left behind a legacy as an inspirational leader, a healer, a guiding spirit who made my own professional field of heart transplants a reality. When all those around him said it was impossible, said it was a pipe dream, said it couldn't be done, his vision and his determination and his unrelenting commitment and pioneer attitude has saved thousands and thousands of lives. I had the distinct honor of studying under the tutelage of Dr. Shumway at Stanford University Medical Center in the early 1980s. I witnessed his rare gifts. Those gifts included a blend of long-term thinking, a love of medicine and healing, and a true pioneering spirit that inspired and attracted like-minded individuals from across the country and, indeed, around the world. He was fond of remarking that his role as a surgeon was comparable to that of being the world's greatest first surgical assistant in the operating room. When you are treating a patient, when you are operating on a patient, the surgeon stands on one side of the table and the first assistant across the way on the other side. It is that image of Dr.…”