House Resolution 49 - Introduced

PAG LIN

                                    H.R. ________ S.R. ________


  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2            BY  CLUTE, MAY, DE BOEF, TJEPKES,
  1  3          LUKAN, PALMER, BOAL, DRAKE, HOFFMAN,
  1  4           GASKILL, WESSEL=KROESCHELL, MERTZ,
  1  5           T. OLSON, HEATON, HORBACH, BAUDLER,
  1  6         GRANZOW, CHAMBERS, SWAIM, and SODERBERG
  1  7 A Resolution declaring May 2007 Amyotrophic Lateral
  1  8    Sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Month.
  1  9    WHEREAS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is
  1 10 better known as Lou Gehrig's disease; and
  1 11    WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease
  1 12 characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the
  1 13 lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior
  1 14 horns of the spinal cord; and
  1 15    WHEREAS, the initial symptom of ALS is weakness of
  1 16 the skeletal muscles, especially those of the
  1 17 extremities; and
  1 18    WHEREAS, as ALS progresses, the patient experiences
  1 19 difficulty in swallowing, talking, and breathing; and
  1 20    WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy
  1 21 and the patient becomes a functional quadriplegic; and
  1 22    WHEREAS, ALS does not affect a patient's mental
  1 23 capacity, so that the patient remains alert and aware
  1 24 of his or her loss of motor functions and the
  1 25 inevitable outcome of continued deterioration and
  1 26 death; and
  1 27    WHEREAS, on average, patients diagnosed with ALS
  1 28 only survive two to five years from the time of
  1 29 diagnosis; and
  1 30    WHEREAS, research indicates that military veterans
  2  1 are at a 50 percent greater risk of developing ALS
  2  2 than those who have not served in the military; and
  2  3    WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, means of
  2  4 prevention, or cure; and
  2  5    WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness
  2  6 Month increases the public's awareness of ALS
  2  7 patients' circumstances and acknowledges the terrible
  2  8 impact this disease has not only on the patient but on
  2  9 the patient's family and the community and recognizes
  2 10 the research being done to eradicate this horrible
  2 11 disease; NOW THEREFORE,
  2 12    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  2 13 That the House of Representatives proclaims May 2007
  2 14 as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month in
  2 15 Iowa.
  2 16 LSB 2932HH 82
  2 17 jr/je/5