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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION |
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| INTRODUCED BY FARNESE, ORIE, BAKER, KASUNIC, STACK, STOUT, WASHINGTON, MELLOW, LOGAN, WILLIAMS, GORDNER, M. WHITE, FOLMER, SCARNATI, TOMLINSON, DINNIMAN, KITCHEN, BRUBAKER, ALLOWAY, TARTAGLIONE, RAFFERTY, PILEGGI, HUGHES, FONTANA, ERICKSON, MUSTO, GREENLEAF, PIPPY, O'PAKE, WOZNIAK, WONDERLING, BROWNE, BOSCOLA, LEACH, COSTA, ROBBINS, EARLL, D. WHITE AND WARD, APRIL 29, 2009 |
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| INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, APRIL 29, 2009 |
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| A RESOLUTION |
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1 | Designating the month of May 2009 as "Amyotrophic Lateral |
2 | Sclerosis Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania, and memorializing |
3 | the President and the Congress of the United States to enact |
4 | legislation to provide additional funding for research in |
5 | order to find a treatment and cure for the disease. |
6 | WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is better known |
7 | as Lou Gehrig's Disease; and |
8 | WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease |
9 | characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the lower motor |
10 | neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horn of the spinal |
11 | cord; and |
12 | WHEREAS, The initial symptom of ALS is weakness of the |
13 | skeletal muscles, especially those of the extremities; and |
14 | WHEREAS, As ALS progresses, the patient experiences |
15 | difficulty in swallowing, talking and breathing; and |
16 | WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy, and the |
17 | patient becomes a functional quadriplegic; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, ALS does not affect a patient's mental capacity, so |
2 | that the patient remains alert and aware of his or her loss of |
3 | motor functions and the inevitable outcome of continued |
4 | deterioration and death; and |
5 | WHEREAS, ALS occurs in adulthood, most commonly between the |
6 | ages of 40 and 70 years of age, with the peak age about 55 years |
7 | of age, and affects men two or three times more often than |
8 | women; and |
9 | WHEREAS, More than 5,000 new ALS patients are diagnosed |
10 | annually; and |
11 | WHEREAS, On average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive |
12 | two to five years from the time of diagnosis; and |
13 | WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, prevention or cure; and |
14 | WHEREAS, "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month" |
15 | increases the public's awareness of ALS patients' circumstances |
16 | and acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has not only |
17 | on the patient but on his or her family as well and recognizes |
18 | the research being done to eradicate this horrible disease; |
19 | therefore be it |
20 | RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania designate the month |
21 | of May 2009 as "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month" |
22 | in Pennsylvania; and be it further |
23 | RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania memorialize the |
24 | President and the Congress of the United States to enact |
25 | legislation to provide additional funding for research in order |
26 | to find a treatment and eventually a cure for Amyotrophic |
27 | Lateral Sclerosis; and be it further |
28 | RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to |
29 | each member of Congress from Pennsylvania. |
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