HR 9061

1
House Resolution
2A resolution designating May 2011 as "Amyotrophic Lateral
3Sclerosis Awareness Month" in Florida.
4
5     WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known
6as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative
7disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord,
8and
9     WHEREAS, the early symptoms of ALS include weakness of the
10skeletal muscles, especially involving the arms and legs, and
11difficulty swallowing, talking, and breathing, and
12     WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy and the
13patient becomes a functional quadriplegic, and
14     WHEREAS, because ALS does not affect a person's mental
15capacity, a person with ALS remains alert and aware of his or
16her loss of motor functions and the inevitability of continued
17deterioration and death, and
18     WHEREAS, the average survival rate for a person with ALS is
192 to 5 years after the diagnosis, and
20     WHEREAS, research indicates that military veterans are at
21least twice as likely to develop ALS than those who have not
22served in the military, and
23     WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, means of prevention, or
24cure, and
25     WHEREAS, the designation of an "Amyotrophic Lateral
26Sclerosis Awareness Month" will increase public awareness of the
27circumstances of ALS patients and the terrible impact of this
28disease on the patient, the patient's family, and the community
29in which they live and will increase support for biomedical
30research on ALS to find the cause or causes of ALS, understand
31the mechanisms involved in the progression of the disease, and
32develop effective treatment, NOW, THEREFORE,
33
34Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
35Florida:
36
37     That May 2011 is designated as "Amyotrophic Lateral
38Sclerosis Awareness Month" in the State of Florida.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.