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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, In the United States, rare diseases affect nearly | ||||||
| 3 | 30 million Americans; more than half of the population affected | ||||||
| 4 | by rare diseases are children; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly recognizes the | ||||||
| 6 | hardship Illinois families endure when their children are | ||||||
| 7 | diagnosed with a rare disease or disorder; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Bilateral Perisylvian Polymicrogyria is a rare | ||||||
| 9 | neurological disorder that affects the cerebral cortex, the | ||||||
| 10 | outer surface of the brain, early in children's lives; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Symptoms of Bilateral Perisylvian Polymicrogyria | ||||||
| 12 | include partial paralysis of muscles on both sides of the face, | ||||||
| 13 | tongue, jaws, and throat; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Those who suffer from Bilateral Perisylvian | ||||||
| 15 | Polymicrogyria have difficulties in speaking, chewing, and | ||||||
| 16 | swallowing; in some cases, seizures are experienced and, in | ||||||
| 17 | most cases, mild to severe intellectual disability is present; | ||||||
| 18 | and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, The exact cause of Bilateral Perisylvian | ||||||
| 20 | Polymicrogyria is not fully understood; it is thought to be due | ||||||
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| 1 | to improper brain development during embryonic growth; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Dorothy Teresea-Marie "Tess" Drainer is a vibrant | ||||||
| 3 | and sweet young Illinois resident who has been diagnosed with | ||||||
| 4 | Bilateral Perisylvian Polymicrogyria; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Tess Drainer suffers from seizures, cerebral | ||||||
| 6 | palsy, scoliosis, and chronic heart and lung disease as a | ||||||
| 7 | result of the rare disorder; and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, Tess Drainer enjoys painting, riding her pony, and | ||||||
| 9 | watching the movie "Disney Descendants"; above all else, she | ||||||
| 10 | greatly enjoys spending time with her family; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Tess Drainer is an inspiration to all who meet | ||||||
| 12 | her; as Tess battles her rare disease at a young age, she | ||||||
| 13 | continuously serves as an example of a courageous and | ||||||
| 14 | headstrong Illinois citizen; therefore, be it
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| 15 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 16 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 17 | honor and recognize Dorothy Teresea-Marie "Tess" Drainer by | ||||||
| 18 | spreading awareness of Bilateral Perisylvian Polymicrogyria | ||||||
| 19 | across the State of Illinois and give our encouragement to all | ||||||
| 20 | those battling rare diseases; and be it further
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| 1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 2 | presented to Tess Drainer as an expression of our deepest | ||||||
| 3 | admiration.
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