WHEREAS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”), known to many as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease in which a person’s brain loses connection with the muscles, slowly taking away their ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually, breathe; and
WHEREAS, Every 90 minutes, a person in the United States is diagnosed with ALS and another person passes away from it; and
WHEREAS, On average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive another two to five years from the point of their diagnoses; and
WHEREAS, ALS has no cure; and
WHEREAS, For reasons that remain unknown, military veterans develop ALS at a higher rate than those who have not served, with some studies finding that the relative risk of dying from ALS for veterans was approximately two times that seen among non-veterans; and
WHEREAS, ALS United Mid-Atlantic has supported ALS patients and families in the Philadelphia area since its founding in 1977 with services that include multidisciplinary treatment centers, in-home care, durable medical equipment, assistive technology, and support groups; and
WHEREAS, There have been promising new treatments approved for ALS in recent years and further clinical trials are critical to advancing ALS research; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia is home to some of the top nationally recognized ALS research; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Phillies have championed the fight to Strike Out ALS since 1984; and
WHEREAS, ALS Awareness Month increases the public’s awareness of the realities of ALS, the need to invest in research, and ways to improve quality of life for people with ALS and their families through compassionate care services; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby recognizes May 2025 as ALS Awareness Month in the City of Philadelphia.
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