PRINTER'S NO. 1806
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
395
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY OBERLANDER, CUTLER, READSHAW, BAKER, KILLION,
KIRKLAND, KRIEGER, DiGIROLAMO, CAUSER, DUSH, SONNEY, MURT,
HENNESSEY, DONATUCCI, KINSEY, MATZIE, METZGAR, MACKENZIE,
MARSICO, HEFFLEY, BOBACK, JOZWIAK, GROVE, WHEELAND, MILLARD,
FARINA, BIZZARRO, YOUNGBLOOD, D. COSTA, GINGRICH, MAJOR,
ROSS, MAHONEY, MILNE, GOODMAN AND PAYNE, JUNE 16, 2015
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
JUNE 16, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Designating the week of June 22 through 26, 2015, as "Charcot-
Marie-Tooth Association Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is the most common
inherited peripheral neuropathy disorder, estimated to affect
one in every 2,500 individuals, or more than 2.8 million
individuals worldwide, without regard to age, gender or
ethnicity; and
WHEREAS, CMT was identified in 1886 by three physicians,
Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie and Howard Henry Tooth; and
WHEREAS, CMT is a progressive disorder, which slowly damages
the nerve cells leading to an individual's extremities; and
WHEREAS, There is no way to predict how far or how fast the
disease will progress, and the severity varies widely from
individual to individual, with some individuals able to go about
their lives with only moderate difficulty and other individuals
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requiring greater assistance; and
WHEREAS, In some cases, CMT can even be fatal; and
WHEREAS, While there is no cure for CMT, physical therapy
improves the muscle strength and endurance of individuals with
CMT; and
WHEREAS, The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA) in
Chester has educated and served this Commonwealth for more than
25 years; and
WHEREAS, CMTA is leading the charge for educational programs
dedicated to training doctors at medical colleges in this
Commonwealth to identify and treat CMT symptoms; and
WHEREAS, In 2008, CMTA launched the Strategy to Accelerate
Research (STAR), a strategic research program, to maximize
breakthroughs in genetics and dramatically speed up the pace of
CMT research; and
WHEREAS, The opportunities associated with STAR stem from the
fact that the causes of CMT have been pinpointed, leading to the
identification of 73 specific gene defects; and
WHEREAS, These genetic mutations can be replicated in
laboratory models and grown as tissue cultures which opens an
extraordinary window of opportunity to develop treatments and
cures for CMT in the immediate and foreseeable future; therefore
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
week of June 22 through 26, 2015, as "Charcot-Marie-Tooth
Association Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.
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