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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 720
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WHEREAS, The observance of ALS Awareness Month in May 2023 |
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provides an opportunity to promote better understanding of |
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amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; and |
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WHEREAS, A neurodegenerative condition, ALS was first |
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identified by a French scientist in 1869, and the disease |
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garnered international attention 70 years later, when it ended |
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the career of beloved baseball player Lou Gehrig; often known as |
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Lou Gehrig's disease, it is characterized by degeneration of cell |
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bodies of the upper and lower motor neurons in the gray matter of |
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the anterior horn of the spinal cord; and |
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WHEREAS, Approximately 5,600 people in the United States |
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are diagnosed with ALS each year, and some 15 Americans are |
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diagnosed each day; in Texas, the ALS Association assisted more |
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than 1,500 individuals during 2022, estimated at 41 percent of |
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the state's ALS population; in addition, it benefited over 4,500 |
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family caregivers and young relatives with its support groups and |
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educational workshops; the association fights daily for people |
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living with ALS, advocating for them, empowering them, and |
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leading cutting-edge research to discover treatments and a cure; |
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since 2020, it has loaned more than $6 million of medical |
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equipment to Texans at no cost; it supports 13 multidisciplinary |
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clinics across the state offering a variety of resources; and |
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WHEREAS, During ALS Awareness Month 2023, the ALS |
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Association is celebrating the commencement of construction on |
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the $100 million Center for Brain Health at The University of |
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Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio; the center will |
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provide innovative, expert care of patients with ALS and other |
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neurologic conditions and help advance research as a clinical |
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trials facility; UT Health San Antonio's Neuromuscular Disorders |
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Program is already an ALS Association-Certified Treatment Center |
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of Excellence, and it is home to one of only 38 Muscular Dystrophy |
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Association/ALS Research Centers in the country; and |
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WHEREAS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a serious and |
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life-threatening disease, and the observance of ALS Awareness |
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Month reaffirms our commitment to search for a cure and to |
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enhance quality of life for patients; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th |
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Legislature, hereby recognize May 2023 as ALS Awareness Month. |
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Menéndez |
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________________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
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I hereby certify that the |
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above Resolution was adopted by |
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the Senate on May 28, 2023. |
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________________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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________________________________ |
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Member, Texas Senate |