2019 -- H 6058

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LC002404

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

COMMEMORATING "WORLD LUPUS DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND ON

MAY 10, 2019

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Diaz, Serpa, Caldwell, Ackerman, and Fellela

     Date Introduced: May 02, 2019

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, World Lupus Day began 11 years ago when an international steering

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committee representing Lupus organizations from 13 different nations met in Eaton, United

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Kingdom, and issued a proclamation and organized the first observance of World Lupus Day. The

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proclamation was a demand for action asking for governments across the globe to increase their

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funding in support of Lupus research, public awareness, and patient services; and

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     WHEREAS, Lupus is a devastating and debilitating chronic disease that afflicts more

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than 5 million people worldwide, men and women, all races, ages, and nationalities. Lupus is

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incurable and can cause life-threatening damage to any part of the body including all organs,

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joints, and skin; and

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     WHEREAS, Lupus damages the immune system, which is the part of the human body

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that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs. Under normal circumstances, our immune system

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produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from "invaders". Becoming autoimmune

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due to Lupus means that one's immune system cannot tell the difference between "foreign

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invaders" like the flu, and your body's healthy tissues, thereby creating autoantibodies that attack

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and destroy healthy tissue, causing inflammation, intense pain, and damage to various parts of the

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body; and

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     WHEREAS, Many physicians worldwide are unaware of the symptoms and effects of

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Lupus, causing people with Lupus to suffer many years before they obtain a correct diagnosis and

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medical treatment; and

 

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     WHEREAS, Medical research efforts into Lupus and the discovery and development of

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safer, more effective treatments for Lupus patients are under-funded in comparison with diseases

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of similar magnitude and severity; and

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     WHEREAS, People with Lupus will face a lifetime of living with the unpredictable and

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life-changing health effects of this disease; and

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     WHEREAS, There is a deep, unmet need worldwide to educate and support individuals

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and families affected by Lupus; and

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     WHEREAS, There is an urgent need to increase awareness in communities worldwide of

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the devastating impact of Lupus; and

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     WHEREAS, World Lupus Day is a day during which Lupus organizations around the

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globe call for increases in public and private sector funding for medical research on Lupus,

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targeted education programs for health professionals, patients and the public, and worldwide

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recognition of Lupus as a significant health issue; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby commemorates "World Lupus Day" in the State of Rhode Island

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on May 10, 2019; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Aida Crosson, Rhode Island Ambassador,

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Lupus Foundation of New England.

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