[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26277]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF BRANDON AND SPENCER WHALE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JASON ALTMIRE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 2, 2007

  Mr. ALTMIRE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Brandon and Spencer 
Whale, brothers from Ross Township, Pennsylvania. I met these 2 young 
men when they visited my office on behalf of the American Heart 
Association and was impressed to discover that, before the age of 10, 
they had both created inventions to improve the lives of hospital 
patients.
  At only the age of 8, Brandon developed a medical device that is used 
to this day. Brandon made improvements to an electrode bracelet used to 
transmit a patient's vital heart data to the hospital from the 
patient's home. The standard bracelet was too big for his mother's 
small wrists, so Brandon discovered a way to modify the bracelet for 
different wrist sizes and enhance its conductivity.
  Brandon's younger brother, Spencer, created a device to secure IV 
drip strands to children's toy cars. Spencer, at the age of 6, got the 
idea after watching parents push IV poles behind their kids while they 
raced through the hospital's play rooms in toy cars. Spencer found a 
way for the toy cars to bear the weight of the medical equipment and, 
as a result, all toy cars at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh are now 
equipped with Spencer's IV holders.
  Spencer and Brandon have been inducted into the National Gallery for 
Young Inventors. At the time of their induction they were the 2 
youngest inventors ever inducted into the National Gallery for Young 
Inventors. They serve as examples for children everywhere that anyone, 
no matter what age, can make a difference. I thank Brandon and Spencer 
for their contributions to the lives of hospital patients, and I wish 
them all the best in the years to come.

                          ____________________