Senate: A Father's Special Gift

When doctors decided that Susan Garn Horne, 27, needed a new kidney, finding one proved no problem. "I am very happy and proud to be the donor," said Utah Senator Jake Garn, 53, her father. Last week, in six hours of surgery performed in adjacent operating rooms in Georgetown University Hospital, Garn's left kidney was transplanted to his daughter.

Horne, daughter of Garn's late first wife, has been suffering progressive kidney failure as a result of diabetes. Garn, best known as the only Senator to fly in the U.S. space shuttle, decided to be the donor even though two of his sons also qualified. This way, he said, his daughter "will have two brothers in reserve as donors." The Republican Senator, who is seeking a third term this November, will return to Utah to recuperate.