WHEREAS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord; and

WHEREAS, When motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost and never regained; and

WHEREAS, As ALS progresses, patients lose the ability to walk, eat, speak, move, and breathe and require 24-hour, seven-day-a-week care; and

WHEREAS, ALS does not usually affect patients’ mental capacity, thus resulting in persons with ALS who are alert and aware while being trapped in their bodies; and

WHEREAS, ALS is usually diagnosed between 40 and 70 years of age, with the peak age of onset being around 56 years of age; and

WHEREAS, Every 90 minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes someone else dies of ALS; and

WHEREAS, ALS knows no boundaries and can strike anyone, resulting in all citizens being at risk of having ALS; and

WHEREAS, American veterans have a higher incidence of ALS than the general population, and Gulf War veterans, in particular, have twice the incidence of ALS compared to the general population; and

WHEREAS, Eighty-five percent of patients diagnosed with ALS survive only two to five years from the time of first noticing muscle weakness; and

WHEREAS, More than 2,660 persons with ALS live in California; and

WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, prevention, or cure; and

WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month increases the public’s awareness of ALS patients’ circumstances and acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has, not only on patients, but on patients’ families as well, and recognizes the need for ALS research and for quality treatment, care, and support of patients and families living with ALS; now, therefore, be it