SLS 15RS-158 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 3
BY SENATOR MILLS
SENATE. Commends Tara MacInnes for her tireless works with Moyamoya disease and
recognizes May 6, 2015, as Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend Tara MacInnes for her dedicated works to promote Moyamoya disease and to
3 recognize Wednesday, May 6, 2015, as Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day in
4 Louisiana.
5 WHEREAS, Tara MacInnes, a graduate student at Southeastern Louisiana University
6 pursuing a Master of Science in Counseling and a Moyamoya patient, has worked tirelessly
7 since her diagnosis at the age of seventeen in 2004 to promote awareness of Moyamoya
8 disease and help other patients in their journey; and
9 WHEREAS, Tara MacInnes has connected patients in over thirty countries, offering
10 them, their family members, friends, and supporters an opportunity to celebrate life and
11 health as they share stories to support and encourage one another recognizing the common
12 thread, Moyamoya disease, that has brought them all together; and
13 WHEREAS, Tara MacInnes has unofficially declared May 6 as World Moyamoya
14 Day and is working tirelessly to have that date become the official worldwide day to
15 promote awareness; and
16 WHEREAS, Moyamoya disease is a rare disorder of the cerebrovascular system that
17 causes arteries at the base of the brain to narrow, resulting in blocked blood flow to the
18 brain; and
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SLS 15RS-158 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, to compensate for the blockage, the body forms a tangle of tiny blood
2 vessels that resemble a "puff of smoke"; and
3 WHEREAS, the term Moyamoya means "puff of smoke" in Japanese, which is how
4 the tangle appeared to Japanese doctors who first described the disorder in the 1960s; and
5 WHEREAS, Moyamoya may lead to transient ischemic attacks (TIA, commonly
6 referred to as "mini strokes") in both children and adults, followed by muscular weakness
7 or paralysis on one side of the body or seizures; and
8 WHEREAS, other symptoms of the disorder include vision problems, disturbed
9 consciousness, reduced cognitive ability, distorted functioning of senses, involuntary
10 movements, and aphasia, a speech problem that impairs language comprehension; and
11 WHEREAS, because the arteries continue to narrow, surgery is needed to prevent
12 mental decline and recurrent strokes.
13 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
14 does hereby commend Tara MacInnes for her efforts in promoting Moyamoya Disease
15 Awareness and does hereby designate Wednesday, May 6, 2015, as Moyamoya Disease
16 Awareness Day in Louisiana.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Tara
18 MacInnes.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Ann S. Brown.
DIGEST
SR 3 Original 2015 Regular Session Mills
Commends Tara MacInnes for dedicated efforts to promote Moyamoya disease and
recognizes May 6, 2015, as Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day in Louisiana.
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