| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution designating April 2004 as "Organ Transplant |
| 3 | Awareness Month" in Florida. |
| 4 |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, advances in medical research and improvements in |
| 6 | transplant technology are offering the hope of a longer, |
| 7 | healthier life to thousands of Americans today who suffer from |
| 8 | diseases of vital organs of the body, and |
| 9 | WHEREAS, each year, the number of transplants performed |
| 10 | increases, as it is now possible to transplant a variety of 28 |
| 11 | kinds of organs and tissue, including heart, lung, liver, |
| 12 | kidney, pancreas, intestine, bone marrow, tendon, and skin; but, |
| 13 | tragically, the number of waiting candidates far exceeds the |
| 14 | number of registered donors, and |
| 15 | WHEREAS, in 2003, 1,557 transplants were performed in |
| 16 | Florida and as of April 1 there had already occurred 169 in |
| 17 | 2004, while the 11 transplant centers in the state reported a |
| 18 | list of approximately 3,017 individuals who were awaiting the |
| 19 | precious, lifesaving gift of an organ or tissue, and |
| 20 | WHEREAS, disease is no respecter of age, gender, ethnicity, |
| 21 | or race; conversely, almost anyone, regardless of age, gender, |
| 22 | ethnicity, race, or even previous illness, may be considered a |
| 23 | potential donor of one or more of the most beneficial gifts one |
| 24 | person may bestow on another, and |
| 25 | WHEREAS, it should also be noted that all transplant |
| 26 | recipients require medication for the rest of their lives, which |
| 27 | imposes a potentially life-threatening hardship on the medically |
| 28 | needy; that they and their caregivers must reside in close |
| 29 | proximity to a transplant center, which often necessitates their |
| 30 | living away from home; and that they are limited as to the types |
| 31 | of occupation for which they are suited, which may pose a need |
| 32 | for job training, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 33 |
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| 34 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 35 | Florida: |
| 36 |
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| 37 | That the House of Representatives designates April 2004 as |
| 38 | "Organ Transplant Awareness Month" in Florida as a time in which |
| 39 | to promote heightened awareness of the dire need for organ and |
| 40 | tissue donors, to familiarize the public with the facts |
| 41 | regarding organ donation, and to encourage residents throughout |
| 42 | the state to enlist as donors in this most important lifesaving |
| 43 | effort. |
| 44 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Floridians, in addition to |
| 45 | becoming donors, are urged to work towards alleviating the |
| 46 | further hardships faced by transplant recipients. |