[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 7, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ORGAN DONATION---

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 7, 2001

  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker. So that New York States' recently 
established Organ and Tissue Donor Registry might be better publicized 
and promoted,
  And so that the public might be better educated on the dire need for 
organ donation,
  I will enter this inspiring article about New York State Assemblyman 
Jim Conte in the Congressional Record.

                 Jim Conte Leading To Make a Difference

                          (By Cheryl Johnston)

       While he routinely makes a difference in the lives of many 
     people in the state of New York, Jim has the greatest impact 
     on four particular people who live in the town of Huntington 
     Station--his wife Debbie and his children Sarah, Jeffrey, and 
     Samantha. In the ups and downs of political life, it is Jim's 
     family which keeps him anchored. He knows they're most 
     important in life.
       Jim got sick before he met Debbie, when he was in his first 
     year of college. Because he'd always been healthy, he was 
     surprised when his doctor said glomerular nephritis was 
     responsible for his swollen feet and sent him home from 
     school. Jim missed more than half of that freshman year, but 
     his health stabilized again. He resumed his studies, acquired 
     an internship with the New York State legislature in Albany 
     and completed his degree in economics. Life was on a roll 
     again.
       After graduation, Jim returned to Albany to work in various 
     positions in government, including working for Assemblywoman 
     Toni Rettaliata. When she sought another office and won, Jim 
     decided to run in the special election for her Assembly seat. 
     He had just one month to campaign and give it his all. He 
     attended campaign events and walked door to door to meet the 
     Long Island constituents. He worked from sun up to sun down, 
     ignoring the fact that he was retaining fluid and that he had 
     a chest cold he couldn't seem to shake. Before the election 
     even took place, he ended up in the hospital with kidney 
     failure and pneumonia.
       Debbie, who was dating Jim then, remembers: ``I was shocked 
     to see how quickly he had become run down. His breathing was 
     so labored that I could actually hear it from down the 
     hallway. He was very weak and his color was bad. He hadn't 
     urinated for a couple of days. We got him to the hospital, 
     where he was intubated immediately. He came close to dying. 
     With the special election underway, he'd just kept going and 
     going. His health had taken a back seat--and he almost paid 
     with his life. Ever since, his priorities have changed. Now 
     he pays attention to his health.''
       While Jim was in the hospital, people in his party, 
     community, and family rallied around him, carrying on the 
     campaign without him. ``I still remember walking into the 
     headquarters, knowing they had pulled me through. It was a 
     wonderful feeling.''
       The feeling was wonderful and the win exciting, but Jim's 
     health was another story. He was on hemodialysis and very 
     weak, but if he wanted to hold onto his new position of 
     Assemblyman, he couldn't take a break. The next regular 
     election for his seat was only eight months after the special 
     election. He put in long hours both as an assembly and as a 
     candidate, fitting in dialysis sessions either early in the 
     morning or in the evening.
       When his healthcare team initially mentioned a transplant 
     Jim was cautious but, after consideration, he agreed to the 
     procedure. Only six weeks after his name was placed on the 
     list at Albany Medical Center, a matching kidney was 
     available. In March of 1989 he received a donor kidney and 
     recuperated well. He had a 13-day hospital stay, which 
     included a small bout of rejection. To the amazement of his 
     colleagues in the Assembly, Jim returned to the legislative 
     chambers by budget time in April.
       Jim later found out that his donor was a young woman named 
     Ashley. ``In the midst of that family's suffering, with the 
     loss of their wife and daughter, they made the decision to 
     donate. For that, I'm eternally grateful.'' He later showed 
     his gratitude by giving his first daughter the middle name 
     ``Ashley.''
       It didn't take long for him to gain back his strength and 
     continue his productive life. And six months post-transplant, 
     Debbie and Jim got married. Debbie had a special perspective 
     of the medical challenges Jim faced because she was a 
     pharmacist and also because brother-in-law, Donald, had 
     received a successful heart transplant six years earlier. 
     This knowledge enhanced Debbie's ability to support Jim as a 
     wife and helpmate.
       In 1991 they had Sarah Ashley. Two years later they were 
     blessed with the birth of their second child, Jeffrey. But 
     the tide turned less than two months later, when Jim's 
     nephritis returned. With weeks, by mid-August of 1993, Jim's 
     transplanted kidney was failing and he was back on dialysis.
       Jim was put on the transplant list, but this time his wait 
     was 18 months. During the difficult wait, Jim kept up his 
     regular work schedule. While the legislature was in session, 
     he went to early morning dialysis sessions with a fellow 
     Assemblyman, Angelo DelToro from Spanish Harlem, and then 
     returned to the Assembly. ``The two of us put human faces on 
     the organ shortage problem. We made others in New York's 
     state government and beyond see that the problem was real--
     and that, in itself, had an impact.''
       On December 20th Jim got the call that an organ was 
     available and underwent his second transplant surgery, this 
     time at the hands of Dr. David Conti. It proved to be a 
     success. Sadly, Angelo DelToro died of complications of 
     dialysis while Jim was still in the hospital.
       Since the second transplant, Jim and Debbie had a third 
     child, Samantha, now two. Jim's priority at home is 
     appreciating his three children and his wife. Another 
     priority in Jim's life is supporting the cause of organ 
     donation and transplantation so that others might receive the 
     gift of a second chance at life.
       ``I do anything I can for that cause,'' he says. ``I'm in a 
     unique position to bring the message to those who make 
     decisions. I tell others about my success and the 
     overwhelming need for more organs. I try to educate the 
     public through interviews on TV, radio and in the newspaper. 
     I include the message in newsletters to my constituents.''
       Jim has sponsored a number of bills designed to educate the 
     public and reward those who choose to be donors. Frank Taft, 
     director for the Center of Donation and Transplant comments, 
     ``Assemblyman Conte has never forgotten that his transplant 
     began with a gift. In the Assembly, he has worked diligently 
     to try to pass legislation to remember those who gave this 
     most precious gift and to promote bills that will lead to 
     increased organ donation.''
       At times, bills have gotten mired down in party politics, 
     but Jim never gives up. ``I just get smarter,'' he explains. 
     For example, he couldn't get enough support in the majority 
     party (he's with the minority party) to pass legislation 
     creating a statewide organ donor registry. So he worked 
     administratively instead of legislatively. He joined Governor 
     Pataki's transplant council, which actually was successful in 
     establishing a statewide-computerized donor registry. When 
     another piece of organ donation legislation was killed in the 
     healthcare committee, Jim gave the bill to a member of the 
     majority party, who could gain more support from within his 
     party. This selfless move resulted in the successful passage 
     of the legislation under someone else's name.
       While he's concerned about effectiveness within the 
     hallowed halls of state government, Jim is also concerned 
     about the effectiveness of his own transplant. ``I try to 
     take care of myself,'' he says. ``I follow a low-fat diet, 
     with lots of fruits and veggies. I exercise--either at the 
     gym, on the treadmill or walking outside.''
       He's also careful about adhering to his medication regimen. 
     ``I've never really had a problem with my transplant 
     medications. I made a perfect switch from Sandimmune to 
     Neoral. And I get my medications faithfully each moth from 
     Stadtlanders. It's a fantastic service.''
       Through his actions and through his life, Jim Conte 
     demonstrates that one man can make a difference. But his wife 
     Debbie doesn't look at him and see what he's done; she looks 
     at him and sees who he is. She explains, ``He's everything 
     good. He's easy going, a great dad, a loving husband. He's 
     very caring of his community and family. He's very 
     dedicated.'' No wonder this man is a leader.

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