[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S2441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              MICHAEL SHEA

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, Michael Shea, age 8, of Dillon MT, 
was tragically killed in an accident on June 30, 1995.
  Although Michael's life was taken, he helped save the lives of four 
other people. All are in good health, leading normal lives today 
because Michael was an organ donor.
  On the day of his death his heart was flown from Montana to Seattle 
to be transplanted in a 4-year-old girl, Paige Roberts. Paige, who was 
born with a complex heart defect, had been waiting for a donor for 3 
months. This 4-year-old little girl is alive today thanks to Michael.
  Michael also donated his liver to a Baltimore woman. One of his 
kidneys was given to a girl in Seattle and the other to a woman in 
southwest Washington. All are now in good health.
  The tragedy of Michael's death has given other people the hope of 
life. We so easily forget how fragile life is. We take for granted the 
advancement of medicine in this country. Michael's heart was used for 
the second pediatric heart transplant in Children's history. It is so 
easy to forget that medicine is about saving people's lives. We get 
caught up in debates about health care and forget the real importance 
of it--it is about saving people's lives.
  I would also like to mention Michael's mother, Eileen, for her 
strength. The void left by the absence of Michael can not be easily 
filled for Eileen or any of the Shea family. It is certainly not easy 
to lose a child that should--in theory--outlive you. Eileen is a model 
mother. She took the time to explain death to Michael when his 
grandfather died, to explain the significance of being a donor for 
herself and let him come to his own decision on the subject. And 
Michael told her he wanted to be an organ donor. I admire her courage 
when faced with the death of a son, she understood the importance of 
giving life to others.
  While the sound of Michael's footsteps racing up and down the stairs 
may have been silenced in Eileen's house, the echo of his generosity 
reminds us all of the fragility of life and the importance of medicine. 
Although modern medicine could not save Michael, it did help save four 
other people's lives.
  We can all learn from Michael's generosity and remember the 
importance of being a donor. This 8-year-old boy from Dillon, MT, is a 
heroic example for children and adults alike. We should all take the 
time to fill out a donor card. It is as easy as writing to Living Bank, 
P.O. Box 6725, Houston, TX 77265.

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