Assembly Resolution No. 768

BY: M. of A. DeStefano

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        January 2024, as Thyroid Disease Awareness Month  in
        the State of New York

  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  custom  of this Legislative Body to recognize
official months that are set aside  to  increase  awareness  of  serious
conditions that affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and

  WHEREAS, Thyroid Disease affecting an estimated 20 million Americans
in  the  United  States,  60  percent of the people with Thyroid Disease
don't know they have a problem; the majority of people with this disease
have yet to be diagnosed; and

  WHEREAS, Thyroid Disease is any  dysfunction  of  the  thyroid,  the
butterfly-shaped  gland  at  the base of the neck, it encompasses a wide
array  of  disorders,   such   as   thyroid   nodules,   hypothyroidism,
hyperthyroidism,  Goiter,  Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and
various thyroid cancers; and

  WHEREAS, The disease can develop in anyone, but tends to occur about
three times as often in women as in men; women between the  ages  of  35
and  65 are at highest risk of getting thyroid cancer, followed by older
people (both men and women); thyroid cancer occurs  more  frequently  in
Whites and Asians than in African Americans; and

  WHEREAS,  Each  year,  approximately  1,000  men and 3,100 women are
diagnosed with thyroid cancer in New York State; of that  number,  about
50 men and 70 women die from this disease each year; and

  WHEREAS,  Between  1975 and 2013, the amount of thyroid cancer cases
diagnosed each year has more than tripled; cases of  advanced  forms  of
the  disease rose by nearly three percent each year while deaths rose by
about one percent each year; and

  WHEREAS, At this time, the causes of thyroid  cancer  and  disorders
are  not well understood, however, scientists agree that certain factors
increase a person's  risk  of  developing  these  diseases;  these  risk
factors  include:    exposure  to  high  levels  of  ionizing radiation,
exposure to radioactive iodine, and it is more common among people  with
certain inherited diseases including familial adenomatous polyposis; and

  WHEREAS,  To  reduce  the risk of Thyroid Disease, doctors recommend
partaking in regular exercise, stop smoking, and  perform  regular  neck
checks; and

  WHEREAS,  Through  public  awareness, this Legislative Body seeks to
minimize the devastating  effects  of  thyroid  disease  among  all  the
citizens of the State of New York; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 2024,  as  Thyroid
Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of  New
York.