House Resolution 38 - Introduced

PAG LIN





  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                        BY  CLUTE
  1  3 A Resolution declaring May 2007 Amyotrophic Lateral
  1  4    Sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Month.
  1  5    WHEREAS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is
  1  6 better known as Lou Gehrig's disease; and
  1  7    WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease
  1  8 characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the
  1  9 lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior
  1 10 horns of the spinal cord; and
  1 11    WHEREAS, the initial symptom of ALS is weakness of
  1 12 the skeletal muscles, especially those of the
  1 13 extremities; and
  1 14    WHEREAS, as ALS progresses, the patient experiences
  1 15 difficulty in swallowing, talking, and breathing; and
  1 16    WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy
  1 17 and the patient becomes a functional quadriplegic; and
  1 18    WHEREAS, ALS does not affect a patient's mental
  1 19 capacity, so that the patient remains alert and aware
  1 20 of his or her loss of motor functions and the
  1 21 inevitable outcome of continued deterioration and
  1 22 death; and
  1 23    WHEREAS, on average, patients diagnosed with ALS
  1 24 only survive two to five years from the time of
  1 25 diagnosis; and
  1 26    WHEREAS, research indicates that military veterans
  1 27 are at a 50 percent greater risk of developing ALS
  1 28 than those who have not served in the military; and
  1 29    WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, means of
  1 30 prevention, or cure; and
  2  1    WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness
  2  2 Month increases the public's awareness of ALS
  2  3 patients' circumstances and acknowledges the terrible
  2  4 impact this disease has not only on the patient but on
  2  5 the patient's family and the community and recognizes
  2  6 the research being done to eradicate this horrible
  2  7 disease; NOW THEREFORE,
  2  8    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  2  9 That the House of Representatives proclaims May 2007
  2 10 as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month in
  2 11 Iowa.
  2 12 LSB 2852HH 82
  2 13 jr:nh/je/5