54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

PROCLAIMING FEBRUARY 4, 2019 "PATRICK GRANGE ALS AWARENESS DAY" IN THE SENATE.

WHEREAS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, is better known as Lou Gehrig's disease; and

WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by degeneration of the cell bodies of the lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horns of the spinal cord; and

WHEREAS, the initial symptom of ALS is weakness of the skeletal muscles, especially those of the extremities; and

WHEREAS, as ALS progresses, the patient experiences difficulty in swallowing, talking and breathing; and

WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy, and the patient becomes a functional quadriplegic; and

WHEREAS, ALS does not affect a patient's mental capacity, so the patient remains alert and aware of the patient's loss of motor functions and of the inevitable outcome of continued deterioration and death; and

WHEREAS, on average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive two to five years from the time of diagnosis; and

WHEREAS, research indicates that military veterans have a fifty percent greater risk of developing ALS than those who have not served in the military; and

WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, no means of prevention and no cure; and

WHEREAS, an estimated one hundred fifty New Mexicans are living with ALS at any given time; and

WHEREAS, in 2010, soon after his twenty-eighth birthday, former university of New Mexico lobo and Albuquerque high school soccer star Patrick Grange was diagnosed with ALS, making him the youngest ALS patient in New Mexico; and

WHEREAS, as a senior, Pat led the Albuquerque high school bulldogs to a district 1-5A championship title; and

WHEREAS, Pat was the first soccer player to be inducted into the Albuquerque high school athletic hall of fame; and

WHEREAS, as a senior at the university of New Mexico, Pat started in all twenty games for the lobos' men's soccer team, was third on the team in scoring and scored two goals in the national collegiate athletic association tournament; and

WHEREAS, despite fighting this terrible disease as hard as he could, Pat died of ALS on April 10, 2012; and

WHEREAS, "Patrick Grange ALS Awareness Day" will increase public awareness of ALS patients' circumstances, acknowledge the terrible impact the disease has, not only on the patient but also on the patient's family and community, and recognize the research being done to eradicate this horrible disease;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 4, 2019 be proclaimed "Patrick Grange ALS Awareness Day" in the senate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the senate urge the president of the United States and members of congress to enact legislation to provide additional funding for research in order to find a treatment and, eventually, a cure for ALS; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the interim legislative health and human services committee.