STATE OF OKLAHOMA

1st Session of the 54th Legislature (2013)

SENATE
RESOLUTION 35	By:	Shortey

AS INTRODUCED

A Resolution declaring May 16, 2013, as Lupus Advocacy Day and May 2013 as Lupus Awareness Month in Oklahoma; and directing distribution.

WHEREAS, each year the Lupus Foundation of America designates May as National Lupus Awareness Month to show support for the estimated two million Americans, including approximately 50,000 Oklahomans, who have Lupus; and
WHEREAS, more women die each year from Lupus-related symptoms than of breast cancer; and medical research efforts into Lupus and the discovery of safer, more effective treatments for Lupus patients are under-funded in comparison with diseases of comparable magnitude and severity; and
WHEREAS, Lupus is an acute and chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually every organ system in the body; and
WHEREAS, Lupus can affect any part of the body, including the skin, lungs, heart, kidneys and brain; no organ is spared.  The disease can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages, organ failures and, in some cases, death; and
WHEREAS, while Lupus can strike women, men, and children of all ages, 90 percent of individuals diagnosed with the disease are women, mostly of childbearing age.  No one is safe from Lupus; African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans and Asian Americans are two to three times more likely to develop Lupus, a disparity that remains unexplained; and
WHEREAS, Lupus can be particularly difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of many other illnesses, and major gaps exist in understanding the causes and consequences of Lupus; and
WHEREAS, the Lupus Foundation of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City have distinguished themselves as state and national leaders in Lupus awareness, education, outreach, referral, research and treatment.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 54TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:
THAT the Oklahoma State Senate declares May 16, 2013, as Lupus Advocacy Day and May 2013 as Lupus Awareness Month in Oklahoma.
THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to the Oklahoma Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America.

54-1-1872	 JB	5/9/2013 4:55:11 PM