PRINTER'S NO. 1811
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
368
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY FARNESE, TEPLITZ, FONTANA, DINNIMAN, SABATINA,
BREWSTER, GREENLEAF, EICHELBERGER, WHITE, BAKER, BROWNE,
HUTCHINSON AND COSTA, MAY 16, 2016
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, MAY 16, 2016
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of May 2016 as "Amyotrpohic Lateral
Sclerosis Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is better known
as Lou Gehrig's Disease; and
WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenrative disease
characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the upper and
lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horn of
the spinal cord; and
WHEREAS, The initial symptom of ALS is weakness of the
skeletal muscles, especially those of the extremities; and
WHEREAS, As ALS progresses, the patient experiences
difficulty in swallowing, talking and breathing; and
WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy and the
patient becomes a functional quadriplegic; and
WHEREAS, Patients with ALS typically remain alert and aware
of their loss of motor functions and the inevitable outcome of
continued deterioration and death; and
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WHEREAS, ALS affects military veterans at twice the rate of
the general population; and
WHEREAS, ALS occurs in adulthood, most commonly between 40
and 70 years of age, peaking at approximately 55 years of age,
and affects both men and women without bias; and
WHEREAS, Annually, more than 5,000 new ALS patients are
diagnosed throughout the nation; and
WHEREAS, In Pennsylvania, there are currently more than 1,000
individuals who have been formally diagnosed with ALS; and
WHEREAS, The $350,000 in State funding appropriated by the
General Assembly for ALS support services in the Supplement to
the General Appropriation Act of 2015 provided services to more
than 900 constituents and a substantial savings to the State
budget and taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, The ALS Association report that on average, patients
diagnosed with ALS only survive two to five years from the time
of diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, prevention or cure; and
WHEREAS, "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month"
increases the public's awareness of ALS patients' circumstances
and acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has not only
on the patients but on their families as well and recognizes the
research being done to eradicate this horrible disease;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
designate the month of May 2016 as "Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States and to the presiding officers
and members of the Pennsylvania Delegation in the Congress of
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the United States.
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