Bill Text: VA SJR214 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Lymphatic Education and Research Network.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-03-07 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ214ER) [SJR214 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-SJR214-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, for 20 years, the Lymphatic Education and Research Network, an international nonprofit organization, has worked to create a world free of lymphatic diseases and lymphedema through education, advocacy, and research; and
WHEREAS, the Lymphatic Education and Research Network was established as the Lymphatic Research Foundation in 1998 by Wendy Chaite, after her daughter was born with lymphatic disease and lymphedema; and
WHEREAS, the Lymphatic Education and Research Network received support from the National Institutes of Health in 2002 and has grown to include chapters throughout the United States and the world, including the Washington, D.C./Virginia chapter; and
WHEREAS, the Lymphatic Education and Research Network has succeeded in raising awareness of lymphatic disease and lymphedema, which occurs when lymphatic fluid does not develop properly or is unable to drain properly, leading to swelling, pain, and impaired mobility; and
WHEREAS, up to 10 million Americans may be affected by lymphatic diseases or lymphedema, and the true number is difficult to determine, as cases are often unreported or misdiagnosed; the diseases can be hereditary and up to 30 percent of women who survive breast cancer may be affected; and
WHEREAS, the Lymphatic Education and Research Network has established grants, awards programs, post-doctoral fellowships, and symposiums, and helped publish Lymphatic Research and Biology, the first peer-review lymphatic disease journal of its kind; the organization's efforts have raised more than $20 million in private, public, and in-kind donations for research; and
WHEREAS, through its international patient registry and biorepository, the Lymphatic Education and Research Network accelerates the prevention, treatment, and cure of these diseases; the organization brings together patients and medical professionals to discuss unmet needs and enhance care in the future; and
WHEREAS, on March 6, 2018, the Lymphatic Education and Research Network commemorated World Lymphedema Day, encouraging people throughout the world to learn more about these diseases and support patients and families as they cope with the financial, physical, and emotional burden of lymphatic disease and lymphedema; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Lymphatic Education and Research Network on the occasion of its 20th anniversary in 2018; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Lindsay Bennett, chair of the Washington, D.C./Virginia chapter of the Lymphatic Education and Research Network, as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the organization's noble mission and two decades of service to people with lymphatic diseases and lymphedema.
