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Meeting Dr. Joseph Murray

Tom Cornell

Imagine this moment.... You're sitting with a doctor...no, The Doctor. The Nobel Prize winner whose research has made your life possible. You're laughing and enjoying this moment with him, his wife and their daughter when he looks at you and asks, in all seriousness:

"So, are all of the people swimming here today transplant recipients?"

The answer is of course, yes.

"In fact," you reply, "if it wasn't for your work 50 years ago, none of these people would even be alive." And there it is. This quiet, smiling, gentle man has saved all of these lives; yours included. It's as if Superman himself was sitting next to you in a tan, cardigan sweater.

And you realize that this is your chance to say thanks for giving you the second chance to have a wife, adventures, holidays and to be at the U.S. Transplant Games. You are stunned by the awesome responsibility of saying something for everyone who's experienced a post-transplant life. You imagine that the words have to be just right, that your face must convey the earnestness of your feelings.

If you had that chance, what would you say?

I said "Thank you." I hope it was enough.