PRINTER'S NO. 2542
No. 424 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY D. O'BRIEN, ADOLPH, BAKER, BASTIAN, BELFANTI,
BENNINGHOFF, BEYER, BIANCUCCI, BISHOP, BRENNAN, CALTAGIRONE,
CAPPELLI, CLYMER, CONKLIN, CREIGHTON, CURRY, DiGIROLAMO,
FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEIST, GEORGE,
GIBBONS, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HELM,
HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS, JAMES, JOSEPHS, KORTZ, KOTIK, KULA,
MAJOR, MANN, MANTZ, MARKOSEK, MARSICO, McILHATTAN, MELIO,
MENSCH, MILLARD, MOUL, MOYER, MURT, MUSTIO, NAILOR,
M. O'BRIEN, O'NEILL, PALLONE, PARKER, PAYNE, PHILLIPS,
PRESTON, QUIGLEY, RAMALEY, RAPP, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROHRER,
ROSS, RUBLEY, SANTONI, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SHAPIRO, SHIMKUS,
SIPTROTH, McILVAINE SMITH, SOLOBAY, SONNEY, SWANGER,
TANGRETTI, J. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TRUE, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, WALKO,
WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 2, 2007
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
OCTOBER 2, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating October 23, 2007, as "Robert O. Henderson, Sr.,
2 Epilepsy Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Epilepsy is the third most common neurological
4 disorder, affecting approximately 2.3 million Americans; and
5 WHEREAS, Approximately 180,000 new cases of seizure disorder
6 and epilepsy are diagnosed each year in the United States; and
7 WHEREAS, Nearly 70% of epilepsy cases have unknown causes;
8 and
9 WHEREAS, Public education programs are needed to educate all
10 Pennsylvanians about epilepsy and to dismiss misconceptions
11 regarding the disorder; and
1 WHEREAS, Robert O. Henderson, Sr., died in 1993 at the age of
2 41 as the result of an epileptic seizure; and
3 WHEREAS, When Robert was diagnosed with epilepsy in the
4 1970s, his family was told by doctors to keep the condition a
5 secret because people with epilepsy had difficulty obtaining
6 employment and insurance and were treated as social outcasts;
7 and
8 WHEREAS, In 1998, Robert's sisters, Michele, Loretta and
9 Nancy, established the Robert O. Henderson, Sr., Memorial Award
10 to promote awareness of epilepsy; and
11 WHEREAS, The award is given annually to a student at Joseph
12 H. Brown School in the City of Philadelphia, the school Robert
13 and his sisters attended; and
14 WHEREAS, In 2003, after Michele was diagnosed with breast
15 cancer, the Henderson family established the Robert O.
16 Henderson, Sr., Epilepsy Foundation to ensure the continuity of
17 the family's activities on behalf of epilepsy awareness; and
18 WHEREAS, The Robert O. Henderson, Sr., Epilepsy Foundation
19 promotes awareness of epilepsy, medical research and services
20 for people with epilepsy; therefore be it
21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate October
22 23, 2007, as "Robert O. Henderson, Sr., Epilepsy Awareness Day"
23 in Pennsylvania to promote awareness of epilepsy and seizure
24 disorder and to recognize the courage and commitment of people
25 with epilepsy and their caregivers and associates; and be it
26 further
27 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
28 the Robert O. Henderson, Sr., Epilepsy Foundation.
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