THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY FARNESE, ORIE, BAKER, KASUNIC, STACK, STOUT, WASHINGTON, MELLOW, LOGAN, WILLIAMS, GORDNER, M. WHITE, FOLMER, SCARNATI, TOMLINSON, DINNIMAN, KITCHEN, BRUBAKER, ALLOWAY, TARTAGLIONE, RAFFERTY, PILEGGI, HUGHES, FONTANA, ERICKSON, MUSTO, GREENLEAF, PIPPY, O'PAKE, WOZNIAK, WONDERLING, BROWNE, BOSCOLA, LEACH, COSTA, ROBBINS, EARLL, D. WHITE AND WARD, APRIL 29, 2009

INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, APRIL 29, 2009  

A RESOLUTION

Designating the month of May 2009 as "Amyotrophic Lateral

Sclerosis Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania, and memorializing

the President and the Congress of the United States to enact

legislation to provide additional funding for research in

order to find a treatment and cure for the disease.

WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is better known

as Lou Gehrig's Disease; and

WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease

characterized by degeneration of cell bodies of the lower motor

neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horn of the spinal

cord; and

WHEREAS, The initial symptom of ALS is weakness of the

skeletal muscles, especially those of the extremities; and

WHEREAS, As ALS progresses, the patient experiences

difficulty in swallowing, talking and breathing; and

WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy, and the

patient becomes a functional quadriplegic; and

WHEREAS, ALS does not affect a patient's mental capacity, so

that the patient remains alert and aware of his or her loss of

motor functions and the inevitable outcome of continued

deterioration and death; and

WHEREAS, ALS occurs in adulthood, most commonly between the

ages of 40 and 70 years of age, with the peak age about 55 years

of age, and affects men two or three times more often than

women; and

WHEREAS, More than 5,000 new ALS patients are diagnosed

annually; and

WHEREAS, On average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive

two to five years from the time of diagnosis; and

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

WHEREAS, "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month"

increases the public's awareness of ALS patients' circumstances

and acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has not only

on the patient but on his or her family as well and recognizes

the research being done to eradicate this horrible disease;

therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania designate the month

of May 2009 as "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month"

in Pennsylvania; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania memorialize the

President and the Congress of the United States to enact

legislation to provide additional funding for research in order

to find a treatment and eventually a cure for Amyotrophic

Lateral Sclerosis; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to

each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.