PRINTER'S NO. 3322
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
751
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY READSHAW, BIZZARRO, MILLARD, KIM, PASHINSKI,
KOSIEROWSKI, MURT, MADDEN, KORTZ, LONGIETTI, SCHLOSSBERG,
RYAN, JAMES, YOUNGBLOOD, BROWN, SONNEY, BURNS, FREEMAN,
SCHLEGEL CULVER, GAINEY, NEILSON, MEHAFFIE, DeLUCA AND
ROEBUCK, FEBRUARY 24, 2020
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, FEBRUARY 24, 2020
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the month of May 2020 as "Lupus Awareness Month" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Every day, an estimated 1.5 million Americans and 5
million people worldwide struggle with the debilitating
consequences of lupus, a potentially fatal autoimmune disease
that can damage any part of a lupus patient's body; and
WHEREAS, In an autoimmune disease such as lupus, the immune
system effectively loses its way and, instead of warding off
foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria, attacks healthy
cells, causing inflammation and pain and leading to permanent
damage; and
WHEREAS, Lupus has no cure and no known cause, and, despite
the current treatment and available medications, many lupus
patients have symptoms that cannot be managed well enough for
patients to lead normal lives, complete their education and
maintain employment; and
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WHEREAS, Nine out of ten people with lupus are women, and 80%
of new cases are diagnosed in women between 15 and 44 years of
age, with the majority of new cases seen in women in their late
teens and early 20s; and
WHEREAS, Although the disease is most frequently seen in
those patients, individuals of any age or gender can develop
lupus; and
WHEREAS, Lupus was identified as a disease in 1872, but is an
underrecognized public health problem that attracts rare
attention and funding for research for a cure; and
WHEREAS, Lupus is often referred to as "the disease that
fools," due to the patient's unawareness of its presence for
extended periods of time; and
WHEREAS, The Lupus Foundation of America, Philadelphia Tri-
State Chapter, a nonprofit volunteer health organization with a
history of service since the early 1970s, provides supportive
services to the victims of lupus, funds medical research into
the disease's causes and possible treatments and educates the
public concerning the realities of lupus; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
month of May 2020 as "Lupus Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania to
give more attention and awareness to the disease.
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