May 2, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 72 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DR. JIM WADE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 2, 2019

  Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I offer these remarks in tribute to Dr. 
Jim Wade of Abingdon, Virginia, who has used his talents as a surgeon 
to help needy people around the globe.
  Dr. Wade was born and raised in Princeton, West Virginia. He attended 
West Virginia University as an undergraduate and then continued at its 
School of Medicine specializing in otolaryngology. After completing his 
medical studies, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army for five 
years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He then had a medical 
practice in Abingdon from 1978 to 2013.
  In Abingdon, Dr. Wade has been an active member of his community. He 
attends Abingdon Bible Church, serves on various boards, and provides a 
home for foreign interns when they are training in the country.
  Dr. Wade's deep faith, compassion for others, and medical skills 
guided him to the field of medical missions. He began volunteering with 
the faith-based charity World Medical Mission in May 1996, traveling to 
Kenya, performing cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. Working with 
World Medical Mission and BethanyKids in the years since, Dr. Wade has 
traveled to Kenya 25 times, South Sudan three times, Egypt twice, South 
Sudan twice, and Myanmar to perform these surgeries. Frequently 
operating in areas undergoing political and social unrest and lacking 
the comforts of home, he conducts an average of four surgeries a day 
during twelve-hour shifts in the operating room.
  His selfless and humble service to others has been a gift in the 
lives of many, from the children who benefit from his medical skills to 
the colleagues inspired by his example. I commend Dr. Wade for his good 
works and for the generous and caring spirit in which he has done them.

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