[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 63 (Thursday, May 16, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             MINNESOTA REP. DARLENE LUTHER'S LASTING LEGACY

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                            HON. JIM RAMSTAD

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 15, 2002

  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, we have all learned in the last eight 
months how fragile life can be, and how nobility and grace can rise 
from tragedy and sadness.
  We have all mourned recently with our colleague Bill Luther the loss 
of his beloved wife, Darlene, who was a distinguished member of the 
Minnesota House of Representatives, as well as a loving wife and mother 
of Alex and Alicia Luther.
  Mr. Speaker, I was profoundly moved by a recent story from the Fergus 
Falls Journal which reflects the great love Darlene and Bill shared for 
each other, as well as others.
  The story, by Mary Mahoney, also speaks volumes about the enduring 
power of human kindness.
  Because I would like to share this beautiful story of love, sacrifice 
and the enduring bond of friendship, I respectfully submit for the 
record the enclosed article from the Fergus Falls Journal of February 
7, 2002, entitled ``Family's gift of life leaves enduring bond,'' by 
Mary Mahoney.
  More than 25 years before his unexpected death, Gary Bradow told his 
wife Norma that he wanted his organs donated.
  ``I told him that if he went first, I didn't know if I could do it,'' 
Norma said from her Fergus Falls home. ``Gary told me I could, that I 
would just know it was right.''
  But nothing could have prepared Norma for the awful day that Gary 
died. A malformed artery in his brain caused a fatal stroke in March 
1998 at the age of 57. Norma was faced with the one decision she didn't 
want to make.
  ``People think of `harvesting' organs as an awful thing,'' she said. 
``But I realized we were farmers; harvesting is a wonderful thing for 
farmers. And in the case of donating Gary's organs, `harvesting' was 
wonderful too.''
  A man in Wisconsin received a kidney. A 63-year-old widow got another 
kidney. Two others received his eyes.
  And State Rep. Darlene Luther was the recipient of Gary's liver, 
literally occurring hours before she would have died.
  A simple thank-you letter written to Norma six months after the 
transplant established a bond that couldn't be broken--even after 
Darlene's death on Jan. 30.
  ``I don't think of myself as one but as two persons,'' she wrote, 
signing only her first name.
  With those words, Norma knew she had to connect with this woman who 
had reached out to her.
  ``Her letter touched my heart in a way I just can't describe and I 
immediately called LifeSource and said I had to meet her,'' Norma said. 
``It took awhile, but two weeks before Christmas 1998, both of them 
(Darlene and her husband U.S. Representative Bill Luther) were here.''
  In the four years since Darlene's transplant, the Bradow family 
became dear and special friends with the Luthers, visiting often and 
corresponding frequently. Darlene even flew out to Seattle one day to 
have lunch with Norma and her daughter Pam, who lives in Seattle, and 
flew back the same afternoon.
  ``The bond we had was completely beyond words,'' Norma said. ``She 
was such a kind and generous lady.''
  Another twist of fate connected the families as well. Bill, who grew 
up on a dairy farm near Fergus Falls and has relatives in the area, had 
briefly known Gary before his death.
  ``I knew of them and had spoken with Gary before all of this 
happened,'' Bill said. ``And the odds that my wife would receive a 
liver transplant from a man from my hometown--it's just amazing the way 
life can bond people together.''
  To Darlene, it was a sign that more needed to be done to increase 
awareness of organ donation. She felt she was the perfect person to 
educate people about the benefits of organ donation as a state 
representative, and helped enact legislation providing funding for a 
mobile education unit for LifeSource, the organ donation procurement 
organization that helped secure her liver.
  ``She (Darlene) did such a great amount of work, getting families to 
talk about organ donation,'' said LifeSource Public Relations manager 
Susan Mau Larson. ``She was a living statement of the wondrous good 
provided by organ donation.''
  The mobile unit is similar to a bookmobile, with displays and kiosks 
about organ donation. In late December, LifeSource presented a plaque 
that will hang in the mobile unit, thanking Darlene for all the work 
she's done for organ procurement.
  Last week, a bill passed through the House of Representatives--named 
in honor of Darlene--making a person's organ donation wishes a binding 
contract, meaning a family member cannot override the decision. The 
Senate will begin its process on the bill today, Mau Larson said.
  But despite the positive work Darlene provided, tragedy struck the 
Luthers--and the Bradows--once again.
  ``Darlene called me in late October to let me know she had stomach 
cancer,'' Norma said. ``The anti-rejection drugs masked the cancer and 
by the time they found out, it was inoperable.''
  It was then that the friendship shifted and Norma began helping 
Darlene the way she had been helped after her husband's death.
  ``I wrote her weekly notes, little inspirational things to encourage 
her,'' she said. ``Her inner peace was phenomenal; she was such an 
inspiration to me--and I was trying to help her.''
  When Bill called Norma the morning after Darlene died, she said the 
news was heart-wrenching enough. But what came next practically took 
her breath away.
  ``Darlene had requested she be buried in Fergus Falls, where she 
could be near us,'' Norma said. ``I burst into tears when Bill said 
that.''
  For Bill and his children Alex and Alicia, it was a natural decision.
  ``We were so appreciative of those four years Darlene received 
because of the transplant,'' Bill said. ``The Bradows are part of our 
family.''
  He insisted that Norma ride in the lead car during the burial 
procession and that Gary's family, including his mother, Emma and 
daughters Tara and Debra, take part in the service held Wednesday 
afternoon at Oak Grove Cemetery.
  ``That's what they mean to us,'' Bill said. ``And it's what Darlene 
would have wanted.''

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