88R33402 KSM-D
 
  By: Menéndez S.R. No. 720
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The observance of ALS Awareness Month in May 2023
  provides an opportunity to promote better understanding of
  amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; and
         WHEREAS, A neurodegenerative condition, ALS was first
  identified by a French scientist in 1869, and the disease garnered
  international attention 70 years later, when it ended the career of
  beloved baseball player Lou Gehrig; often known as Lou Gehrig's
  disease, it is characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the
  upper and lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior
  horn of the spinal cord; and
         WHEREAS, Approximately 5,600 people in the United States are
  diagnosed with ALS each year, and some 15 Americans are diagnosed
  each day; in Texas, the ALS Association assisted more than 1,500
  individuals during 2022, estimated at 41 percent of the state's ALS
  population; in addition, it benefited over 4,500 family caregivers
  and young relatives with its support groups and educational
  workshops; the association fights daily for people living with ALS,
  advocating for them, empowering them, and leading cutting-edge
  research to discover treatments and a cure; since 2020, it has
  loaned more than $6 million of medical equipment to Texans at no
  cost; it supports 13 multidisciplinary clinics across the state
  offering a variety of resources; and
         WHEREAS, During ALS Awareness Month 2023, the ALS Association
  is celebrating the commencement of construction on the $100 million
  Center for Brain Health at The University of Texas Health Science
  Center at San Antonio; the center will provide innovative, expert
  care of patients with ALS and other neurologic conditions and help
  advance research as a clinical trials facility; UT Health
  San Antonio's Neuromuscular Disorders Program is already an ALS
  Association-Certified Treatment Center of Excellence, and it is
  home to one of only 38 Muscular Dystrophy Association/ALS Research
  Centers in the country; and
         WHEREAS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a serious and
  life-threatening disease, and the observance of ALS Awareness Month
  reaffirms our commitment to search for a cure and to enhance quality
  of life for patients; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature
  hereby recognize May 2023 as ALS Awareness Month.