Honorees

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Year Honored
2009
Honoree
Martinus 'Martin' Spoor
Agency
University of Michigan Health System Transplant Team
Agency City
Ann Arbor
Agency State
MI
Last Call
6/4/07
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
Martin leaves a legacy of having a lifetime of compassion, humor, talent and selflessness. Despite his very busy clinical and research commitments, friends and family describe Dr. Spoor as a natural, gentle fun-loving father.<br /> <br /> Martin Spoor, 37, was killed in the line of duty on June 4, 2007. He was one of a six-person medical team aboard a Cessna jet that crashed into Lake Michigan minutes after taking off from General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. The team was on an organ transplant mission trying to save the life of a man who needed a lung transplant.<br /> <br /> Dr. Spoor received his degree from the University of Calgary in 1997 and studied cardiac surgery at University of Alberta in Canada. He came to the University of Michigan Medical Center in 2003. Before devoting his time to Michigan Medical Center he worked as a counselor for several years in the Rocky Mountains where his job was hiking, swimming, horseback riding, and conducting canoeing trips with six to 16-year olds. He loved camping with them.<br /> <br /> Martin met his wife, Susan, who is also a doctor, in the Rocky Mountains, later marrying her there. He was so dedicated to his family, his work and his patients.<br /> <br /> Honored 2009