89R12873 BK-D
By: Holt H.R. No. 224
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Michael Fawzi Tarabay of Sour Lake has demonstrated
extraordinary compassion and selflessness by becoming an organ
donor and helping to save the life of a friend and colleague; and
WHEREAS, Mike Tarabay met Marshall Goode in 2020, and the two
developed a friendship while working together over the next several
years; Mr. Goode had suffered from an inherited liver disease for a
decade and a half, but his health had begun to rapidly decline in
the months leading up to February 2024, when he was diagnosed with
end-stage liver disease and given only 12 to 16 months to live; and
WHEREAS, Devastated by the news, Mr. Goode and his family
were left with few options; while undergoing the process of joining
the liver transplant waiting list, Mr. Goode's condition worsened,
forcing him to take a leave of absence from his job and to be
hospitalized for a time; he was informed that, due to his blood
type, a partial liver transplant from a living donor would offer the
best chance of resolving his symptoms; and
WHEREAS, After learning of the grim prognosis that his friend
faced, Mr. Tarabay reached out to the Goode family and volunteered
as a potential donor; testing revealed that Mr. Tarabay was a
match, and he went on to endure a battery of tests, scans, and
procedures over the next six months to prepare himself for
transplant surgery; along the way, Mr. Tarabay and the Goode family
received an outpouring of prayers and support from their Southeast
Texas community and from churches as far away as North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, On September 10, 2024, dual operations were
performed on the two men; the surgeries were a success, and thanks
to Mr. Tarabay's act of generosity, Mr. Goode faces a far more
optimistic future; and
WHEREAS, Mike Tarabay has deservedly been hailed a hero for
his actions, and his inspiring gift to a friend in need is a
testament to the most admirable qualities of the human spirit; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby commend Michael Fawzi Tarabay for his lifesaving
act as an organ donor and extend to Mr. Tarabay and Mr. Goode
sincere best wishes for continued health and happiness; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Tarabay as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.