Florida Senate - 2015 (NP) SR 1588 By Senator Margolis 35-01744-15 20151588__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution recognizing May 2015 as “Lupus Awareness 3 Month” in Florida. 4 5 WHEREAS, each year, the Lupus Foundation of America 6 designates May as Lupus Awareness Month to show support for the 7 estimated 1.5 million Americans who have lupus, including an 8 estimated 100,000 Floridians, and 9 WHEREAS, lupus is a cruel and mysterious chronic autoimmune 10 disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, causing 11 inflammation and tissue damage to virtually every organ system 12 in the body, and 13 WHEREAS, lupus can affect any part of the body, including 14 the skin, lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain, which can lead to 15 seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages, and organ 16 failure, and 17 WHEREAS, while lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing 18 age, no one is safe from lupus, with African Americans, 19 Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans two to three times more 20 likely than Caucasians to develop lupus, a disparity that 21 remains unexplained, and 22 WHEREAS, lupus can be particularly difficult to diagnose 23 because its symptoms are similar to those of many other 24 illnesses, and major gaps exist in understanding the causes and 25 consequences of lupus, and 26 WHEREAS, it takes four or more years and three or more 27 doctor visits before more than half of all people with lupus 28 obtain a correct diagnosis, and 29 WHEREAS, only one new drug has been approved by the United 30 States Food and Drug Administration specifically for lupus in 31 more than 50 years, and current treatments for the disease can 32 have damaging side effects, NOW, THEREFORE, 33 34 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 35 36 That May 2015 is recognized as “Lupus Awareness Month” in 37 Florida.