HR0099 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0099 LRB096 09077 GRL 19218 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On behalf of the citizens of Illinois, the members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to join the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, in celebrating May of 2009 and every May thereafter as American Stroke Month in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Stroke Survivors Empowering Each Other (SSEEO), a first-of-its-kind-in-the-nation group of stroke survivors from all parts of Illinois is meeting in Springfield on May 2, 2009 for the 2009 Springfield Start! Heart Walk in order to create opportunities for people to improve their health by walking and simultaneously raising funds to help fight heart disease and stroke; and

WHEREAS, Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, killing about 150,000 Americans each year; and

WHEREAS, Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability with more than 1.1 million American adults experiencing functional limitations or difficulty with activities of daily living resulting from a stroke; and

WHEREAS, Americans are more aware of the risk factors and warning signs for stroke than in the past, but still less than one in five adults can correctly classify all stroke symptoms; and

WHEREAS, Warning signs of stroke include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; and sudden severe headache with no known cause; and

WHEREAS, Stroke leads to the death of more than 7,500 citizens of Illinois each year and disables thousands more; and

WHEREAS, New and effective treatments have been developed to treat and minimize the severity and damaging effects of strokes, but much more research is needed; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we proclaim May of 2009 and every May thereafter to be American Stroke Month in the State of Illinois and urge all the citizens of our State to familiarize themselves with the warning signs, symptoms, and risk factors associated with stroke so that we might begin to reduce the devastating effects of stroke on our population.