Senate Resolution 23 - Introduced PAG LIN 1 1 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 1 2 BY WARNSTADT 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 SENATE, That the Senate 2 9 proclaims May 2007 as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis 2 10 Awareness Month in Iowa. 2 11 LSB 2852SS 82 2 12 jr:nh/je/5 1