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R E S O L U T I O N
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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 garnered |
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international attention 70 years later, when it ended the career of |
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beloved baseball player Lou Gehrig; often known as Lou Gehrig's |
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disease, it is characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the |
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upper and lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior |
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horn of the spinal cord; and |
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WHEREAS, Approximately 5,600 people in the United States are |
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diagnosed with ALS each year, and some 15 Americans are diagnosed |
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each day; in Texas, the ALS Association assisted more than 1,500 |
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individuals during 2022, estimated at 41 percent of the state's ALS |
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population; in addition, it benefited over 4,500 family caregivers |
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and young relatives with its support groups and educational |
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workshops; the association fights daily for people living with ALS, |
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advocating for them, empowering them, and leading cutting-edge |
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research to discover treatments and a cure; since 2020, it has |
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loaned more than $6 million of medical equipment to Texans at no |
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cost; it supports 13 multidisciplinary clinics across the state |
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offering a variety of resources; and |
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WHEREAS, During ALS Awareness Month 2023, the ALS Association |
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is celebrating the commencement of construction on the $100 million |
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Center for Brain Health at The University of Texas Health Science |
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Center at San Antonio; the center will provide innovative, expert |
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care of patients with ALS and other neurologic conditions and help |
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advance research as a clinical trials facility; UT Health |
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San Antonio's Neuromuscular Disorders Program is already an ALS |
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Association-Certified Treatment Center of Excellence, and it is |
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home to one of only 38 Muscular Dystrophy Association/ALS Research |
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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 Month |
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reaffirms our commitment to search for a cure and to enhance quality |
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of life for patients; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature |
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hereby recognize May 2023 as ALS Awareness Month. |