[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14008]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING THE GIFT OF LIFE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 11, 2006

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, in these challenging times, it 
is refreshing to hear uplifting anecdotes of kindness and hope. I rise 
to recognize a tremendous source of these qualities on Long Island: the 
non-profit organization known as Gift of Life, Inc., whose exemplary 
work benefits underprivileged children by helping uninsured and low-
income families meet the cost of life-saving surgery.
  Since Gift of Life was founded in 1975 by members of the Rotary Club 
of Manhasset, this truly remarkable organization has raised money for 
medical care and transportation of more than 3,000 children from across 
the United States and around the world whose families would not 
otherwise be able to afford such prohibitively expensive medical care. 
With 44 participating hospitals in the United States, I am proud to 
note that three are located on Long Island, including Stony Brook 
University Hospital, which has performed 450 of the heart surgeries.
  Recently, Stony Brook partnered with the Suffolk County chapter of 
Rotary International and Gift of Life to help the family of Markus 
Dejong, a six-year-old boy from Farmingville who required an expensive 
operation to repair a defective valve in his heart. His father, an Iraq 
war veteran, was not insured or able to afford the cost of the 
operation and treatment. Fortunately, Gift of Life was there to help, 
and I am delighted to report that Markus' operation was successful. 
Following a recent visit to my office with his family, I am confident 
that he will grow up to be healthy and strong, with a normally 
functioning heart, thanks in large part to Gift of Life.
  Mr. Speaker I strongly agree with Dr. Steven Whitman when he said, 
``We never stand so tall as when we stoop to help a child.'' Indeed, we 
would be hard-pressed to find more selfless and devoted Americans who 
could stand as tall as the Rotarians, translators, host families, 
medical professionals, surgeons, sponsors and other volunteers who have 
given so much to this premier life-saving program. I am privileged to 
recognize Gift of Life and every individual associated with its truly 
outstanding and inspiring contributions to our community and in support 
of those children who need our help the most.

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