Florida Senate - 2012                            (NP)    SR 2120
       
       
       
       By Senator Fasano
       
       
       
       
       11-03206-12                                           20122120__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing May 2012 as “Lupus Awareness
    3         Month” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, Lupus is an acute, chronic, and lifelong
    6  autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced,
    7  causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually every organ
    8  system in the body, and
    9         WHEREAS, Lupus can affect any part of the body, including
   10  the skin, lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain, with no organ
   11  spared, and can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks,
   12  miscarriages, and organ failure, and
   13         WHEREAS, researchers estimate that 5 million people
   14  worldwide have been diagnosed with Lupus or related diseases,
   15  with about 100,000 new diagnoses each year, and
   16         WHEREAS, the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc., estimates
   17  that more than 1.5 million Americans live with some form of
   18  Lupus, including an estimated 100,000 Floridians, and
   19         WHEREAS, Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age,
   20  when they are 15 to 44 years of age, affecting all aspects of
   21  their lives, with African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians,
   22  and Native Americans two to three times more likely to develop
   23  Lupus, a disparity that remains unexplained, and
   24         WHEREAS, Lupus is difficult to diagnose because its
   25  symptoms are similar to symptoms of other illnesses, meaning
   26  that more than one-half of all people with Lupus wait 4 or more
   27  years and visit three or more doctors before they are correctly
   28  diagnosed, and
   29         WHEREAS, early diagnosis and proper treatment are critical
   30  to improving the quality of life and survival rate of those
   31  living with Lupus, and
   32         WHEREAS, major gaps exist in the understanding of the
   33  causes and consequences of Lupus, and increased public
   34  awareness, education, and research are key to winning the battle
   35  against the disease, NOW, THEREFORE,
   36  
   37  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   38  
   39         That May 2012 is recognized as “Lupus Awareness Month” in
   40  Florida.