[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING DR. THOMAS E. STARZL

 Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Thomas 
E. Starzl, the pioneer in the field of organ transplantation who 
impacted the lives of thousands directly and indirectly. Dr. Starzl 
died on March 4, 2017, 1 week shy of his 91st birthday.
  To say Dr. Stazrl was a remarkable surgeon, researcher, or physician 
does not begin to describe this man or the contributions he made. He 
was a visionary who created and then transformed an entire field of 
medicine. He performed the first liver transplant in 1963, the first 
heart-liver transplant in 1984, and led a team conducting a five-organ 
transplant in 1987. In 2007, at the age of 80, Dr. Starzl visited with 
me to seek research funding for the hand transplant program at the 
University of Pittsburgh. He never stopped envisioning what more could 
be done or striving to achieve it.
  The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy once said, ``only those who dare 
to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.'' Dr. Starzl was not afraid 
to fail, and through his determination and the innovation and advances 
he brought forth, organ transplantation preserved human life, and the 
University of Pittsburgh became the busiest transplant center in the 
world. Knowing that the actual surgery is only one part of a successful 
transplantation, Dr. Starzl worked to develop immunosuppressant 
therapies and played a role in creating tacrolimus, which remains the 
most widely used immunosuppressant drug in the world. He also believed 
that it was his obligation to train the next generation of transplant 
surgeons. Today approximately 90 percent of transplant centers are 
headed by surgeons Dr. Starzl directly trained or by surgeons who 
learned from surgeons Dr. Starzl trained.
  Over his decades of service, Dr. Starzl profoundly impacted many 
lives and families, including my own. Our family will always be 
grateful for the extraordinary care Dr. Starzl provided for my father, 
during his second term as Governor of Pennsylvania. In June of 1993, 
Dr. Starzl oversaw Governor Casey's exceedingly rare heart and liver 
double transplant surgery. My family cherished the 7 additional years 
we had with my father.
  Among the many accolades Dr. Starzl received was being ranked 213th 
in the book ``1,000 Years, 1,000 People: Ranking the Men and Women Who 
Shaped the Millennium.'' Published in 1998, this book named the people 
who had the greatest impact on the world over the previous 1,000 years. 
Dr. Starzl's inclusion speaks to the enormous impact he had on so many 
lives.
  Dr. Starzl's passing leaves a void, but we know the foundation he 
built for organ transplantation will endure through the many lives he 
saved, the surgeons he trained, and the high standards he set for 
quality of care. In the statement released by his family, it was noted 
that he ``was a force of nature that swept all those around him into 
his orbit, challenging those that surrounded him to strive to match his 
superhuman feats of focus, will and compassion.'' His ``superhuman 
feats'' will remain an inspiration for those in the medical profession 
and beyond.

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