A RESOLUTION

 

1Designating the month of November 2014 as "Epilepsy Awareness
2Month" in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, Epilepsy affects more than 200,000 Pennsylvanians;
4and

5WHEREAS, Epilepsy is one of the world's oldest known medical
6conditions; and

7WHEREAS, Epilepsy is not a widely understood medical
8condition; diagnoses of this chronic brain condition often leads
9to fear, discrimination and isolation; and

10WHEREAS, As the third most common neurological disorder in
11the United States, following stroke and Alzheimer's disease,
12epilepsy affects 5 million Americans of all ages; and

13WHEREAS, Approximately 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are
14diagnosed each year, most often in young children or senior
15citizens; and

16WHEREAS, One in ten Americans will experience a seizure at

1some point in their lives and 3% of them will eventually develop
2epilepsy; and

3WHEREAS, One in three people with epilepsy must endure
4uncontrollable seizures because no available treatment works for
5them; and

6WHEREAS, Epilepsy is characterized by recurring seizures that
7are physical reactions to sudden, brief, excessive electrical
8discharges in brain cells; and

9WHEREAS, These excessive electrical discharges impact the
10brain, causing seizure disorders; and

11WHEREAS, Seizures, often thought to be full-body convulsions,
12can be brief muscle spasms or unconscious behaviors that appear
13to be attention lapses; and

14WHEREAS, Increased awareness of epilepsy eases fears of the
15condition and improves the lives of the millions of affected
16persons and those who care for them; and

17WHEREAS, Encouraging the support of epilepsy research
18programs can make the future of persons with epilepsy much
19better and brighter; therefore be it

20RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the month of November
212014 as "Epilepsy Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.