PRINTER'S NO. 3388
No. 588 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY HARRIS, ARGALL, ARMSTRONG, BAKER, BALDWIN, BASTIAN, BEBKO-JONES, BENNINGHOFF, BROWNE, BUNT, CAUSER, CLYMER, COLEMAN, COSTA, CREIGHTON, CRUZ, DALEY, DENLINGER, DONATUCCI, J. EVANS, FAIRCHILD, FORCIER, FRANKEL, GABIG, GEIST, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOOD, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS, HORSEY, HUTCHINSON, KELLER, KILLION, KIRKLAND, LAUGHLIN, LEACH, LEDERER, LESCOVITZ, MAJOR, MARKOSEK, MARSICO, McCALL, McGILL, McILHINNEY, MILLARD, S. MILLER, MUSTIO, O'NEILL, PALLONE, PAYNE, PICKETT, PISTELLA, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROHRER, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SATHER, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SCRIMENTI, SHANER, B. SMITH, SOLOBAY, E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TIGUE, TRUE, WEBER, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD AND ZUG, MARCH 15, 2004
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, MARCH 15, 2004
A RESOLUTION 1 Designating September 2, 2004, as "Scleroderma Awareness Day" in 2 Pennsylvania. 3 WHEREAS, More than 300,000 people in the United States suffer 4 from scleroderma; and 5 WHEREAS, For persons with scleroderma, a chronic autoimmune 6 disease affecting connective tissue, the body's wound-healing 7 process for unknown reasons produces scarring that has the 8 potential to disfigure, debilitate or cause severe damage to 9 organs; and 10 WHEREAS, Residents of this Commonwealth have died from 11 complications of scleroderma; and 12 WHEREAS, Residents of this Commonwealth have been diagnosed
1 and are living with the disability and pain caused by 2 scleroderma; and 3 WHEREAS, Women are three to four times more likely to get 4 scleroderma than men; and 5 WHEREAS, Scleroderma generally strikes young adults aged 20 6 through 40, attacking in the prime of life; and 7 WHEREAS, Many persons with scleroderma experience tremendous 8 suffering and pain, disability and sometimes death, and the 9 fundamental cause and cure remain unknown; and 10 WHEREAS, Due to the inherent difficulty of diagnosing 11 scleroderma because of its similarity to other diseases and 12 generally poor clinical awareness, many persons suffer 13 impairment and disabilities before diagnosis; and 14 WHEREAS, Scleroderma research has for decades suffered from 15 low funding and a poor basic science platform from which to 16 identify opportunities for progress; and 17 WHEREAS, Finding the cause of scleroderma and developing 18 prevention, clinical and public awareness and early diagnosis 19 are important tasks that all Americans and residents of this 20 Commonwealth should support; therefore be it 21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives, recognizing the 22 importance of finding the cause and cure for scleroderma, 23 designate September 2, 2004, as "Scleroderma Awareness Day" in 24 Pennsylvania. B5L82MRD/20040H0588R3388 - 2 -