[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 1, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H4370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT FOR TOM WELCH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Meehan] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I have come to the floor this evening to ask 
for the Nation's help. A long time family friend of mine, Tom Welch, 
who lives in the town of Chelmsford, MA, is in serious need of a bone 
marrow transplant. Tom is a community activist, who tirelessly works to 
help others. He is employed by Hewlett Packard and he also serves as a 
town selectman--a position to which he was recently elected. He has a 
wife, Maureen, and two sons--a family to which he is absolutely 
committed.
  Well-read and smart; a lover of jazz music, Tom is--to all who know 
him--an all around great guy. That is why it is with great sadness that 
I make this plea tonight.
  In January of this year, Tom was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic 
Disorder, a condition which inhibits reproduction of the body's blood 
cells and destroys its ability to combat infection. Tom's condition is 
the result of long-term exposure to several forms of radiation therapy 
as, over the years, he has battled Hodgekin's Disease, Melanoma, and 
Basil-Cell Carcinoma. While his cancer is in remission, his life is now 
threatened by this immuno-deficient condition, and the last hope for a 
cure is to perform a bone marrow transplant. Such a procedure would 
replace his damaged bone marrow with another person's, much healthier 
marrow, restoring his body's blood-cell production and adding years 
onto his life. Since Tom is in good health, the procedure should be 
successful; the real obstacle is finding an acceptable donor match.
  Each year over 9,000 Americans are diagnosed with Tom's condition. 
Unfortunately, less than 30 percent of those in need ever receive a 
bone marrow transplant. Matching potential donors is an extremely 
difficult process. Currently, two agencies in the United States are 
coordinating the effort: The American Bone Marrow Donor Registry, and 
the National Marrow Donor Program. Worldwide, over 3 million potential 
donors have been cataloged, but the demand for transplants still 
outnumbers the known supply.
  Today, in my district, the friends of Tom Welch are holding a donor 
drive in an attempt to find a match for Tom, and this where I need 
America's help. I want to first encourage all Americans to contact 
their local donor registry to be listed as a potential donor. I also 
want to urge for help with the tremendous financial burden involved 
with such a drive. Take Tom's case for example, the cost to catalog 
each potential donor is approximately $50. One can easily see that such 
a drive quickly becomes very expensive.
  So tonight I am asking, on behalf of Tom Welch and all other patients 
in need of a bone marrow transplant, for help. Behind me is the address 
and phone number of the friends of Tom Welch. I urge everyone to call 
and pledge your support.
  In closing, I want Tom and Maureen to know that they are in my 
prayers and in the prayers of people across the nation. With the help 
of the entire Nation, donors will be found for Tom and all others in 
need.

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