09-R357
2009 -- S 1067
Enacted 10/29/09
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
CELEBRATING THE
MONTH OF OCTOBER, 2009 AS "LUPUS AWARENESS MONTH"
Introduced By: Senators Pichardo, Connors, DiPalma, Lanzi, and Jabour
Date Introduced: October 29, 2009
0/WHEREAS, One and a
half million Americans struggle with Lupus each and every day
of their lives; and
WHEREAS, Lupus is an
acute and chronic autoimmune disease that causes the immune
system to become unbalanced and attack normal tissue,
resulting in inflammation and tissue
damage to virtually every organ system in the body; and
WHEREAS, Lupus can
affect any part of the body, including the skin, joints, lungs,
heart, blood system, kidneys, and brain. No organ is
spared. The disease can cause seizures,
strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages, and organ failure; and
WHEREAS, While Lupus
develops most commonly in women between the ages of 15
and 45 years, no one is safe from Lupus. African
Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, and
Native Americans are two to three times more likely to
develop Lupus, and women are 10 times
more likely than men to be affected by Lupus--disparities
that remain unexplained; and
WHEREAS, Lupus can be
particularly difficult to diagnose because its symptoms mimic
those of many other diseases, and major gaps exist in our
understanding of the causes and
consequences of Lupus. More than half of all people with Lupus
take four or more years and visit
three or more doctors before obtaining an accurate
diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, The United
States Food and Drug Administration has approved no new
drugs specifically for Lupus in fifty years, and current
treatments for the disease can have
damaging side effects. Increased education and support can
alert the public to the challenges that
Lupus brings into so many lives and promote
programs of research, education, and community
service within our state; now, therefore it be
RESOLVED,
That this Senate of the State of
hereby proclaims the month of October, 2009 to be “Lupus
Awareness Month” in the State of
observe this month by educating themselves on the symptoms
and impact of Lupus; and be it
further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is
authorized and directed to
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Rhode
Island Lupus Group, and the Lupus
Foundation
of America, Inc.
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LC02989
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