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WHEREAS, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, was first described in 1869 as a neurodegenerative disease that attacks the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord; and,
WHEREAS, early symptoms include muscle weakness and slurred speech that progress into impaired use of arms and legs and difficulty breathing; and,
WHEREAS, most ALS cases develop between the ages of 40 and 70 and 5,600 new cases are diagnosed in the United States each year; and,
WHEREAS, there is no definitive cause or cure; and,
WHEREAS, the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the ALS Association was founded in 1982 with one vision: create a world without ALS; and,
WHEREAS, the Western Pennsylvania Chapter offers a number of services, including connecting patients with social workers and speech-language pathologists, maintaining an equipment loan closet free of charge to patients, providing transportation services for patients to attend clinics, resource-group meetings, and other events; and,
WHEREAS, on Saturday, September 6th, 2014, the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the ALS Association will hold their annual Walk To Defeat ALS at Point State Park to further promote and build support behind their vision.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the ALS Association for their steadfast commitment to creating a world without ALS; and,
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby proclaim September 6, 2014, as "Strike-Out ALS Day" in the City of Pittsburgh.