R 262 |
2019 -- H 6058 Enacted 05/02/2019 |
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 |
WHEREAS, World Lupus Day began 11 years ago when an international steering |
committee representing Lupus organizations from 13 different nations met in Eaton, United |
Kingdom, and issued a proclamation and organized the first observance of World Lupus Day. The |
proclamation was a demand for action asking for governments across the globe to increase their |
funding in support of Lupus research, public awareness, and patient services; and |
WHEREAS, Lupus is a devastating and debilitating chronic disease that afflicts more |
than 5 million people worldwide, men and women, all races, ages, and nationalities. Lupus is |
incurable and can cause life-threatening damage to any part of the body including all organs, |
joints, and skin; and |
WHEREAS, Lupus damages the immune system, which is the part of the human body |
that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs. Under normal circumstances, our immune system |
produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from "invaders". Becoming autoimmune |
due to Lupus means that one's immune system cannot tell the difference between "foreign |
invaders" like the flu, and your body's healthy tissues, thereby creating autoantibodies that attack |
and destroy healthy tissue, causing inflammation, intense pain, and damage to various parts of the |
body; and |
WHEREAS, Many physicians worldwide are unaware of the symptoms and effects of |
Lupus, causing people with Lupus to suffer many years before they obtain a correct diagnosis and |
medical treatment; and |
WHEREAS, Medical research efforts into Lupus and the discovery and development of |
safer, more effective treatments for Lupus patients are under-funded in comparison with diseases |
of similar magnitude and severity; and |
WHEREAS, People with Lupus will face a lifetime of living with the unpredictable and |
life-changing health effects of this disease; and |
WHEREAS, There is a deep, unmet need worldwide to educate and support individuals |
and families affected by Lupus; and |
WHEREAS, There is an urgent need to increase awareness in communities worldwide of |
the devastating impact of Lupus; and |
WHEREAS, World Lupus Day is a day during which Lupus organizations around the |
globe call for increases in public and private sector funding for medical research on Lupus, |
targeted education programs for health professionals, patients and the public, and worldwide |
recognition of Lupus as a significant health issue; now, therefore be it |
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and |
Providence Plantations hereby commemorates "World Lupus Day" in the State of Rhode Island |
on May 10, 2019; and be it further |
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Aida Crosson, Rhode Island Ambassador, |
Lupus Foundation of New England. |
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LC002404 |
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