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78R13150 MMS-D
By: Wong H.R. No. 937
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, During the month of May 2003, the American Stroke
Association, a division of the American Heart Association, is
promoting an educational campaign designed to inform the public
about the risk factors, warning signs, and symptoms of stroke; and
WHEREAS, Every 45 seconds, someone in America has a stroke,
and every 3 minutes, someone dies of one; approximately 700,000
Americans experience strokes each year, and some 4.7 million
Americans are presently stroke survivors; the chance of having a
stroke before the age of 70 is 1 in 20 for both men and women; and
WHEREAS, A leading cause of long-term disability and the
third leading cause of death in the United States, strokes annually
result in the death or disability of more than 9,800 Texans; and
WHEREAS, The majority of Americans are not aware of their
risk factors for a stroke, nor are they aware of the signs and
symptoms of an impending stroke; warning signs of stroke include:
sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on
one side of the body; sudden confusion or trouble speaking or
understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden
dizziness, trouble walking, or loss of balance or coordination; and
sudden severe headache with no known cause; and
WHEREAS, To emphasize the vital importance of stroke victims'
receiving prompt medical attention, the theme for this year's
stroke awareness campaign is "Time = Brain"; new and effective
means have been developed to treat and minimize the severity and
damaging effects of strokes, among them t-PA, a clot-busting drug
that should be administered within three hours of onset of
symptoms; and
WHEREAS, With improved knowledge about the risk factors for
stroke, the devastating consequences of this illness, and the
imperative of swift medical intervention, it will be possible to
reduce the enormous toll that strokes take every year in American
lives and resources; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas
Legislature hereby recognize May 2003 as American Heart Association
Stroke Awareness Month and encourage all Texans to inform
themselves about this major health threat so that we might begin to
reduce its devastating impact on the Lone Star State.