HM 56

Page 1

A MEMORIAL

MARKING THE NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY CODY UNSER WAS

STRICKEN WITH TRANSVERSE MYELITIS AND DECLARING FEBRUARY 5,

2008 "CODY UNSER DAY" AT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

WHEREAS, Cody Unser was stricken suddenly with transverse

myelitis, commonly called TM, on February 5, 1999; and

WHEREAS, Cody, a basketball-playing sixth-grade girl,

became paralyzed from the chest down and has remained so ever

since; and

WHEREAS, the past nine years have transformed Cody's

life, and she has transformed the level of support, research

for and understanding of transverse myelitis and other spinal

cord diseases and injuries; and

WHEREAS, Cody's reaction to learning to live in a

wheelchair was to learn to scuba dive and to create a

charitable foundation to seek a cure for TM; and

WHEREAS, that foundation is called the Cody Unser First

Step Foundation, and it continues to build awareness of TM,

promote medical cooperation and stimulate research; and

WHEREAS, Cody accepted Governor Richardson's request to

serve as his national disabilities spokeswoman for his recent

presidential bid; and

WHEREAS, as part of her promotion of funding for

research, Cody has successfully helped the University of New

HM 56

Page 2

Mexico become a center of excellence, attracting new funding

for New Mexico research on spinal cord injuries and diseases;

and

WHEREAS, the Cody Unser First Step Foundation has formed

charitable relationships with the Johns Hopkins Transverse

Myelitis Center and its medical consortium affiliates, the

Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, the Kennedy-Krieger

Spine Institute, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the

Barrow Neurological Institute and the Transverse Myelitis

Association and, most recently, New Mexico's Governor's

Commission on Disability; and

WHEREAS, the foundation has awarded over one hundred

thousand dollars ($100,000) to related research and education

endeavors; and

WHEREAS, Cody is an ambassador for the Quickie Wheelchair

events at Sunrise Medical, for Johns Hopkins' "PROJECT

RESTORE" and for many symposia and consortia, and she hosts

the "Winners on Wheels" web site; and

WHEREAS, Cody was named "One of the 21 coolest girls in

America" by YM Magazine; and

WHEREAS, Cody has won New Mexico Business Weekly's "Power

Kid" award, the national Prudential "Spirit of the Community"

award and the National Philanthropy Day's President's Award,

and she was the youngest-ever recipient of the YWCA "Women on

the Move" award; and

HM 56

Page 3

WHEREAS, Cody also won the Grand Prix Americas

Foundation's "Special Achievement Award" and now sits on the

board of the Paralysis Health Action Plan Task Force in

Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, in recent years, Cody has worked tirelessly for

all quality-of-life programs for people with disabilities,

including her own, sponsoring several "Cody's Great Scuba

Adventure" programs; and

WHEREAS, the scuba program has now expanded, and Cody has

enlisted other trainers to train people with other

disabilities in scuba diving; and

WHEREAS, President Gerald and Betty Ford selected Cody as

the recipient of the "People Helping People" award for the

"Swim with Mike" program; and

WHEREAS, Cody was the first-ever recipient of the "Spinal

Cord Injury Project Emerging Leader" award; and

WHEREAS, Cody has met with national and international

leaders, including President Bush; Prince Andrew; Senators

Pete Dominici, Jeff Bingaman, Hillary Clinton and Bill Frist;

United States Representatives Heather Wilson and Diane

DeGette; federal Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy

Thompson; and the late Christopher Reeve and his late wife,

Dana, to aid in their promotion of stem cell research; and

WHEREAS, Cody has been featured in numerous magazines,

bringing to light the realities of living with a disability in

HM 56

Page 4

the United States today, not only for those with TM but for

those with other disabilities as well, and advocating for stem

cell research; and

WHEREAS, Cody has been featured on Good Morning America,

48 Hours and CNN to focus interest on persons with

disabilities, and she is now the subject of a documentary

entitled "Cody", which is narrated by actor Paul Newman and

produced by the city of Santa Fe and Christopher Productions,

that reveals Cody in her day-to-day life as a full-time

student at Redlands University; and

WHEREAS, having found her voice as a political activist

early in life, Cody created her own degree program in

biopolitics, with the intention of changing health policy from

both the medical perspective and the legal perspective;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 5,

2008 be declared "Cody Unser Day" at the house of

representatives in recognition of the good work of this young

woman and her sincere and tireless dedication to the cause of

stem cell research; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Cody's indomitable spirit be

celebrated as the senate marks the day that this outstanding

young woman was stricken with transverse myelitis; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be

transmitted to the Cody Unser First Step Foundation, the Johns

HM 56

Page 5

Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center and its medical consortium

and University of New Mexico Carrie Tingley Children's

Hospital.