PRINTER'S NO. 1168
No. 179 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY CURRY, BAKER, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF, BEYER,
BISHOP, CAPPELLI, CAUSER, COX, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DiGIROLAMO,
DONATUCCI, EVERETT, FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD, FLECK, FRANKEL,
FREEMAN, GALLOWAY, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GILLESPIE,
GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS,
HUTCHINSON, JAMES, W. KELLER, KENNEY, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, KOTIK,
KULA, LEACH, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MANTZ, MARSICO, McILHATTAN,
MENSCH, MICOZZIE, MILLARD, MURT, MUSTIO, NAILOR, PALLONE,
PARKER, PAYNE, PHILLIPS, RAMALEY, RAPP, READSHAW, REICHLEY,
ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SIPTROTH,
M. SMITH, SOLOBAY, SONNEY, STABACK, R. STEVENSON, THOMAS,
TRUE, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD,
APRIL 3, 2007
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 3, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the month of April 2007 as "Neuroblastoma Month" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, In the United States, cancer is the leading cause of
4 death by disease among children under 15 years of age; and
5 WHEREAS, Cancer killed approximately 1,500 children in the
6 United States in 2001; and
7 WHEREAS, Neuroblastoma is an extremely malignant and
8 treatment-resistant form of childhood cancer involving tumors of
9 the sympathetic nervous system; and
10 WHEREAS, Neuroblastoma is often not diagnosed until late in
11 its progression; and
12 WHEREAS, Susanna DeLaurentis of Elkins Park, Montgomery
1 County, was a victim of this disease and was not expected to
2 survive the eight months of aggressive treatment, much of it
3 experimental; and
4 WHEREAS, Children with neuroblastoma may go through multiple
5 rounds of high-dose intensive chemotherapy, followed by surgery,
6 local and total-body radiation and finally an autologous bone
7 marrow transplant; and
8 WHEREAS, Susanna was placed in a full-body cast, isolated
9 behind a lead barrier in a specially isolated room and injected
10 with an experimental radioactive chemical to seek and destroy
11 any malignancy that may have survived the other treatments; and
12 WHEREAS, Although Susanna's remarkable recovery and
13 subsequent five symptom-free years were quite unexpected and
14 were an enduring inspiration to peers and professionals alike,
15 Susanna's symptoms returned when she was eight years old; and
16 WHEREAS, Susanna underwent another set of intensive
17 treatments but, despite her successful initial response to
18 treatment, relapsed and died at ten years of age on November 27,
19 1999; and
20 WHEREAS, The Susanna DeLaurentis Charitable Foundation was
21 established to raise funds to support primary research into the
22 causes and possible cure or treatment of neuroblastoma and
23 cystic fibrosis, the most common fatal inherited disease in
24 North America, which affects one in every 3,900 American
25 newborns; therefore be it
26 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
27 month of April 2007 as "Neuroblastoma Month" in Pennsylvania in
28 memory of Susanna DeLaurentis and all victims of this disease.
B22L82DMS/20070H0179R1168 - 2 -