SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 681
	WHEREAS, On behalf of the citizens of Texas, the
Texas Senate is pleased to join the American Stroke Association,
a division of the American Heart Association, in observing
May of 2003 as American Stroke Month in Texas; and
	WHEREAS, The theme for American Stroke Month 2003 is
"Time = Brain"; observation of the month offers advocates for 
stroke awareness an opportunity to educate the public and 
policymakers about the devastating effects of stroke; and
	WHEREAS, Every 45 seconds, someone in America has a stroke, 
and every three minutes, someone dies of one; strokes are the 
third-leading cause of death in the United States, striking about 
700,000 Americans each year; and
	WHEREAS, Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term 
disability, and there are about 4.7 million stroke survivors 
today; the chance of having a stroke before age 70 is one in 20 
for both men and women, and strokes lead to the death and 
disability of more than 9,800 Texans each year; 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; and
	WHEREAS, 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 trouble 
walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination; and 
sudden severe headache with no known cause; and

	WHEREAS, New and effective treatments have been developed 
to minimize the severity and damaging effects of strokes, such as 
t-PA, a clot-busting drug to be administered within three hours 
of the onset of symptoms; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
78th Legislature, hereby declare May of 2003 American Stroke 
Month in Texas and urge all Texans to familiarize themselves with 
the warning signs, symptoms, and risk factors associated with 
stroke so we might begin to reduce the devastating toll that 
stroke takes on our state.
                                                                           Ellis




________________________________ 
    President of the Senate
 
    I hereby certify that the 
above Resolution was adopted by 
the Senate on April 29, 2003.



________________________________ 
    Secretary of the Senate



________________________________ 
     Member, Texas Senate