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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), known by | ||||||
3 | many as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive, fatal | ||||||
4 | neurodegenerative disease that causes a person's brain to lose | ||||||
5 | connection with their muscles, slowly taking away their | ||||||
6 | ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Every 90 minutes, someone is diagnosed with ALS | ||||||
8 | and someone passes away from ALS; and
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9 | WHEREAS, On average, patients diagnosed with ALS only | ||||||
10 | survive two to five years from the time of their diagnosis; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Currently, there is no known cure for ALS; and
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12 | WHEREAS, People who have served in the military are more | ||||||
13 | likely to develop and die from ALS than those with no history | ||||||
14 | of military service; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Securing access to new therapies, durable medical | ||||||
16 | equipment, and communication technologies is of vital | ||||||
17 | importance to people living with ALS; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Clinical trials play a pivotal role in evaluating | ||||||
19 | new treatments, enhancing quality of life, and fostering |
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1 | assistive technologies for those living with ALS; and
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2 | WHEREAS, This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Ice | ||||||
3 | Bucket Challenge, and it is fitting to make a renewed | ||||||
4 | commitment to galvanize public awareness and support funding | ||||||
5 | leading to significant investments in ALS research; and
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6 | WHEREAS, As the largest philanthropic funder of ALS | ||||||
7 | research globally, the ALS Association has committed over $154 | ||||||
8 | million to support more than 550 projects across the United | ||||||
9 | States and 18 other countries; and
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10 | WHEREAS, The ALS community and researchers remain | ||||||
11 | unwaveringly committed to accelerating the pace of discovery, | ||||||
12 | fueled by the hope that one day ALS will be a livable disease | ||||||
13 | for everyone, everywhere; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Observing ALS Awareness Month increases the | ||||||
15 | public's awareness of the dire circumstances people with ALS | ||||||
16 | face, acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has not | ||||||
17 | only on the person but also on his or her family and community, | ||||||
18 | and recognizes the research being done to eradicate this | ||||||
19 | disease; therefore, be it
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20 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
21 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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1 | we declare the month of May 2024 as ALS Awareness Month in the | ||||||
2 | State of Illinois; and be it further
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