1Designating the month of May 2014 as "Amyotrophic Lateral
2Sclerosis Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is better known
4as Lou Gehrig's Disease; and

5WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease
6characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the lower motor
7neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horn of the spinal
8cord; and

9WHEREAS, The initial symptom of ALS is weakness of the
10skeletal muscles, especially those of the extremities; and

11WHEREAS, As ALS progresses, the patient experiences

1difficulty in swallowing, talking and breathing; and

2WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy, and the
3patient becomes a functional quadriplegic; and

4WHEREAS, ALS does not affect a patient's mental capacity, so
5that the patient remains alert and aware of his or her loss of
6motor functions and the inevitable outcome of continued
7deterioration and death; and

8WHEREAS, ALS occurs in adulthood, most commonly between the
9ages of 40 and 70 years of age, with the peak age about 55 years
10of age, and affects men two or three times more often than
11women; and

12WHEREAS, More than 5,000 new ALS patients are diagnosed
13annually; and

14WHEREAS, On average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive
15two to five years from the time of diagnosis; and

16WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, prevention or cure; and

17WHEREAS, "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month"
18increases the public's awareness of ALS patients' circumstances
19and acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has not only
20on the patient but on his or her family as well and recognizes
21the research being done to eradicate this horrible disease;
22therefore be it

23RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
24month of May 2014 as "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness
25Month" in Pennsylvania.