Myotonic dystrophy is a type of muscular dystrophy, a group of genetic disorders that cause progressive muscle loss and weakness. It affects more than 1 in 8,000 people worldwide. Sadly, Gilbert Gottfried was one of those people. He died on April 12, 2022 at the age of 67. He had never disclosed his illness to the public, so it came out as a shock to the vast majority.

This petition is to have his birthday February 28 as a national day of muscular dystrophy awareness. So many people who suffer from this disease are still suffering with it to this day. The public needs to be aware of muscular dystrophy in order to help change the future for the better as research accelerates toward treatments and, hopefully, a cure. Gilbert is still very sorely missed and he will never be forgotten. Much condolences and thoughts go out to all of his family, friends, and fans.

Read here for more information on myotonic dystrophy: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/myotonic-dystrophy/

The Twitter account of Gilbert Gottfried: @RealGilbert

On Gilbert's birthday, his Twitter account posted a tweet asking for help to create "The Gilbert Gottfried Research Endowment for DM2". They stated that 100% of the proceeds will go towards research for finding a cure for mytonic dystrophy. https://twitter.com/RealGilbert/status/1630533836797870083/

In Loving Memory of Gilbert Gottfried