[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28086]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          COMMENDING THE AMERICAN VITILIGO RESEARCH FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 6, 2003

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to a 
little-known but debilitating disease that profoundly impacts its 
victims.
  Vitiligo is an auto-immune disorder which causes the skin to lose its 
pigmentation, resulting in the development of white patches around the 
bodies of those afflicted with it. Although its physical effects are 
neither as severe nor life-threatening as some diseases, vitiligo 
profoundly impacts the social and psychological well-being of its 
victims, particularly children and African-Americans.
  Vitiligo may physically be painless, but the discrimination it 
precipitates hurts nonetheless. The more than 5 million American men, 
women, and children who have vitiligo know the sting and emotional 
distress it causes. I have seen it in the eyes and heard it in the 
voices of those with whom I've met who have it.
  I learned about vitiligo from one of my constituents, Stella 
Pavlides, who is the Founder and President of the American Vitiligo 
Research Foundation, which is headquartered in my congressional 
district in Clearwater, Florida. Stella is a tireless advocate who has 
dedicated her life to finding a cure for vitiligo and ending the hurt 
it causes. I have pledged to her that I will work with my House 
colleagues to raise public awareness about vitiligo so that we can make 
it a disease of the past and not the mystery illness shrouded in 
ignorance that it is today.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend our colleague, Congressman Todd 
Tiahrt, for taking a leading role in helping me bring this disease to 
the attention of our colleagues. I hope that all of our colleagues will 
join us in raising public awareness about vitiligo and dedicating 
ourselves to helping the medical and scientific communities find a cure 
for it.

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