[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 22 (Thursday, February 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO GARY WHYTE ON BEHALF OF WHITNEY WELDON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 2003

  Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of 10-year-old 
Whitney Weldon of Westfield, New Jersey. Whitney is a wonderful, happy, 
and active child who was diagnosed in April 2001 with a disease called 
Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP).
  FOP is a rare genetic disorder in which bone forms in muscles, 
tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues forming a second 
skeleton that immobilizes the joints of the body. With so few people 
afflicted by the disease, there is little attention being paid to this 
illness.
  For the past fifteen months, Gary Whyte, of Mountainside, New Jersey, 
has been going non-stop, doing everything he can, to raise awareness 
and help spread news about FOP through countless efforts speaking 
before clubs, churches, synagogues and organizations and hosting events 
to raise money for the Weldon FOP Research Fund.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand before you on behalf of Whitney Weldon and the 
200 other Americans suffering from FOP to praise the efforts of these 
dedicated people who are staging a campaign to increase awareness of 
and find a cure for a disease that few people know about. Gary has 
shown that education about FOP is the first step toward working to get 
a cure. Little by little, with more awareness comes more action.

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