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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 |
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provides a fitting opportunity to promote better understanding of |
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amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often known as Lou Gehrig's disease; |
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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; ALS affects nerve cells in the |
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brain and spinal cord, causing the progressive degeneration of the |
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motor neurons that reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from |
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the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body; patients with |
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ALS may lose the ability to speak, eat, move, and breathe; and |
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WHEREAS, To receive a diagnosis, patients must typically |
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undergo numerous tests and procedures, such as electromyography |
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testing, blood and urine studies, spinal taps, x-rays, biopsies, |
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and neurological examinations; approximately 5,600 people in the |
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United States are diagnosed with ALS each year, and some 15 |
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Americans are diagnosed each day; moreover, for unknown reasons, |
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military veterans are significantly more likely to be diagnosed |
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with the disease than the general public; and |
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WHEREAS, Although life expectancy averages about two to five |
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years from diagnosis, the disease is variable, and some people |
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survive longer while retaining quality of life; according to the |
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ALS Association, approximately 20 percent of individuals with ALS |
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live five years or more, and about five percent live 20 years or |
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longer; there is currently no cure for ALS, but a number of |
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medications and treatments are available to help alleviate symptoms |
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and prolong survival; and |
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WHEREAS, Individuals with ALS benefit immeasurably from the |
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support of their families, friends, health care providers, and |
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caregivers, as well as from the dedicated efforts of service |
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groups, volunteers, and researchers across Texas who are working to |
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improve outcomes and develop new treatments for ALS; 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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unites people around the world in their commitment to support the |
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search for a cure and to enhance quality of life for patients; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize May 2023 as ALS Awareness Month and |
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urge all Texans to learn more about the disease. |