August 20, 2004

Congress Passes Resolution
Honoring Mattie Stepanek

The U.S. House of Representatives has unanimously passed a resolution honoring the life of former MDA National Goodwill Ambassador Mattie Stepanek.

House Resolution 695 offers condolences to friends and family of Mattie on his death on June 22, and honors his “braveness, generosity of spirit, and efforts to raise awareness of muscular dystrophy.”

When Congress reconvenes this fall, a copy of the resolution will be presented to Mattie’s mother, Jennifer, who has the adult-onset version of the disease that took the lives of Mattie and his three siblings, dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy. Jeni Stepanek is an MDA vice president.

Mattie was world-renowned as the author of five best-selling poetry books and for his frequent television appearances.

Introduced by Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), who represents the Rockville, Md., area where Mattie lived, the resolution was passed on July 23, less than a week after what would have been the young poet’s 14th birthday (July 17).

In a statement to House members just before the vote, Cardin said, “Many of us in this chamber can recall our childhood ambitions, and how we replied to the query, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Few, if any, of us would have responded that we wanted to become a poet and peacemaker.

“How remarkable then, to hear of this brave young man, who not only aspired to these goals, but also achieved them before the age of 13.”

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