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Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 131
BY SENATOR CORTEZ
A RESOLUTION
To recognize May 2012 as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month.
WHEREAS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or 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 horns 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, on average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive two to five years
from the time of diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, means of prevention, or cure; and
WHEREAS, research indicates that military veterans are at a sixty percent or greater
risk of developing ALS than those who have not served in the military; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Veterans Affairs implemented regulations to
establish a presumption of service connection for ALS thereby presuming that the
development of ALS was incurred or aggravated by a veteran's service in the military; and SR NO. 131 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, a national ALS patient registry, administered by the Centers for Disease
Control, is currently identifying cases of ALS in the United States and may become the
single largest ALS research project ever created; 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 and the community and recognizes the
research being done to eradicate this horrible disease.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
hereby recognizes May 2012 as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE