SENATE MEMORIAL 22

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2011

INTRODUCED BY

Dede Feldman

A MEMORIAL

DECLARING FEBRUARY 9, 2011 AS "MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS DAY IN THE SENATE" AND REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO DECLARE MARCH 14, 2011 THROUGH MARCH 20, 2011 AS "MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AWARENESS WEEK" IN NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling, disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and can stop people from moving; and

     WHEREAS, every hour, someone in the United States is newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; and

     WHEREAS, the Rio Grande chapter of the national multiple sclerosis society reports that more than two thousand five hundred people are living with multiple sclerosis in New Mexico, and more than four hundred thousand people are affected nationwide; and

     WHEREAS, multiple sclerosis generally strikes adults between the ages of twenty and fifty, attacking them in the prime of their lives; and

     WHEREAS, symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, and the progress, severity and specific symptoms of the disease in any one person cannot yet be predicted; and

     WHEREAS, advances in research and treatment of multiple sclerosis are moving the nation and the world closer to a world free of multiple sclerosis; and

     WHEREAS, the Rio Grande chapter of the national multiple sclerosis society has for many years been committed to mobilizing people statewide who advocate on behalf of individuals affected by this illness, and is currently planning several major statewide fundraisers and educational programs to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis; and

     WHEREAS, "Walk MS" and "Bike MS" are two such events that are scheduled to be held this year in locations throughout the state; and

     WHEREAS, the Rio Grande chapter of the national multiple sclerosis society devotes programs and services to enhancing the lives of those with multiple sclerosis and invests in research toward identifying a cause and a cure;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 9, 2011 be declared "Multiple Sclerosis Day in the Senate"; and

     BE IF FURTHER RESOLVED that the governor be requested to declare March 14, 2011 through March 20, 2011 as "Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week" in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the regional executive vice president of the Rio Grande chapter of the national multiple sclerosis society.

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