[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 168 (Tuesday, November 10, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S11339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO LAURENCE CAROLIN

  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, today I would like to tell the story of a 
young Michigan man who gives us all great reason to be proud.
  Laurence Carolin from Dexter, MI, was only 13 years old when doctors 
discovered an inoperable tumor in his brain. After intensive radiation 
and chemotherapy regimens, the tumor still grew. Today Laurence is 15. 
He has fought the cancer valiantly, but it is the larger fight he has 
waged for the impoverished around the world that moves me to speak 
today.
  Laurence was born in South Korea, just south of the demilitarized 
zone. When he was 5 months old he was adopted by Lisa and Patrick 
Carolin, who brought him to their home a world away in Michigan. There, 
with access to education and health care, he experienced what he 
described as ``the kind of start that I wish everyone could have.''
  Warning signs emerged in 2007 when Laurence started to get headaches 
and began to fatigue easily. Two days after Christmas he and his family 
received the diagnosis of the glioblastoma multiforme.
  Many of us would react to this diagnosis with despair and self-pity. 
But not Laurence. When he was offered the opportunity to fulfill a 
dream by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Laurence did what many 13-year-old 
boys might do: asked to meet his favorite rock star, U2's lead singer 
Bono. When told that might not be possible, Laurence asked instead that 
a donation be made to the United Nations Foundation to combat AIDS, 
tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. Characteristically, he said, ``I 
should have thought of my next wish as my first wish. It's a much 
better wish. I have everything I need.''
  That selfless act was only the start of the great work Laurence has 
performed in his efforts to help fight poverty in his community and 
around the world. When a class at Mill Creek Middle School in his 
hometown wanted to raise donations for him, Laurence instead asked the 
class to run a food drive for the needy in Michigan. Today Laurence is 
organizing efforts in his community to support Nothing But Nets, a U.N. 
Foundation campaign designed to stop the spread of malaria across 
Africa.
  Laurence says that though the cancer has weakened him, it has given 
him perspective on suffering that is felt around the world. His efforts 
to fight his cancer make him admirable. His actions to help the world's 
poor make him nothing less than heroic. His example calls us all to 
action, reminding us in his words that ``it's our ethical and moral 
obligation to help others who are in need.''
  An avid guitar player, I am happy to report that Laurence did get 
that meeting with Bono and the rest of U2 after all, at a concert 
earlier this fall. Laurence's inspirational work gives new meaning to 
the band's music, which helped open his eyes to the problems in this 
world.
  Laurence does not want to leave his work left unfinished. In his 
words, ``Death isn't a big deal to me. It's just another part of life. 
Some people die earlier than others. . . . I can accept dying, but I 
don't want to die before there's an end to extreme poverty in Africa.''
  I thank Laurence for the example he sets, I commend him for his 
courage in confronting his disease, and I share his hope that someday 
soon the twin plagues of disease and poverty will be lifted.

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