Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 106 Part 1.djvu/160

 106 STAT. 128 PUBLIC LAW 102-278—MAY 9, 1992 Public Law 102-278 102d Congress Joint Resolution May 9, 1992 Designating the month of May 1992, as "National Amyotrophic Lateral [S.J. Res. 174] Sclerosis Awareness Month". Whereas over 300,000 people alive today will eventually die from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ("ALS"), commonly known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease", which afflicts the motor-neuron system of the human body; Whereas at least 5,000 people will be diagnosed this year as having ALS, or an average of 13 cases per day; Whereas there is still no known cause or cure for ALS despite the fact that the disease was discovered in 1869; Whereas victims of this disease may lose total movement of their arms, l^s, fingers, and toes, as well as the ability to speak, swallow, or breathe; Whereas ALS patients have an average life expectancy of between 2 and 5 years after being diagnosed as having the disease; Whereas wheelchairs, respirators, and feeding tubes are often necessary to assist those who outlive the average life expectancy; Whereas the National Institutes of Health have found that victims of ALS are increasingly yoimger, with many in their 20's and 30's, and some mere teenagers; Whereas ALS strikes people regardless of race, sex, age, or ethnicity; Whereas the number of male victims of ALS under the age of 50 equals the number of female victims, but over the age of 50, male victims outnumber female victims by a ratio of 3 to 1; Whereas finding the causes of, and the cure for, ALS will prevent the disease from robbing hundreds of thousands of Americans V of their dignity and lives; Whereas 1992 marks the 51st anniversary of the death of one of America's greatest baseball players, Lou Gehrig, for whom the disease was named; and Whereas raising public awareness of this disease will facilitate the discovery of a cure: Now, therefore, be it

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