SR555 - Recognizing May of 2025 as ALS Awareness Month.

          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 555          WHEREAS, The observance of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis   (ALS) Awareness Month in May of 2025 provides an opportunity to   promote better understanding of ALS, often known as Lou Gehrig's   disease; and          WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that   affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, eventually   causing muscle weakness and paralysis, and it garnered   international attention when it ended the career of beloved   baseball player Lou Gehrig; patients with ALS slowly lose the   ability to speak, eat, move, and breathe; and          WHEREAS, Thousands of people in the United States are   diagnosed with ALS each year, and approximately 16 Americans are   diagnosed each day; the causes of the disease are unknown, and   military veterans are more likely to be diagnosed with the   disease than those with no history of military service; and          WHEREAS, Life expectancy averages from two to five years   from diagnosis, and currently there is no known cure for ALS;   however, clinical trials play a pivotal role in evaluating new   treatments and improving assistive technologies that enhance the   quality of life of patients living with the disease; and          WHEREAS, The ALS Association is the largest   philanthropic funder of ALS research globally and has   committed more than $160 million to support projects in the   United States and 19 other countries; the work of the   association is fueled by the hope that one day ALS will be a   livable disease for all who are diagnosed and that they will be   able to enjoy more time with their loved ones until a cure is   found; and          WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month   represents a fitting occasion to increase public awareness of the   dire circumstances of people living with ALS, to acknowledge the   terrible impact this disease has on those individuals and their   families, and to reaffirm our commitment to support research to   eradicate ALS; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th   Legislature, hereby recognize May of 2025 as ALS Awareness Month   and encourage all Texans to support ALS research and to stand in   solidarity with those affected by this devastating disease; and,   be it further          RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared in   honor of this occasion.     Zaffirini                 ________________________________          President of the Senate               I hereby certify that the     above Resolution was adopted by     the Senate on May 22, 2025.                 ________________________________          Secretary of the Senate                 ________________________________           Member, Texas Senate