LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(ALS) Association's 12th Annual Westchester Walk to Defeat ALS on June
23, 2013

WHEREAS, Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclero-
sis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is
no known cause, cure, or effective treatment; and
WHEREAS, ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord; the
nerve cells that direct motor functions (known as motor neurons) reach
from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the
muscles throughout the body; the progressive degeneration of the motor
neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death; when the motor neurons
die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is
lost, with voluntary muscle action progressively affected; patients in
the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed; and yet,
through it all, for the vast majority of people afflicted with ALS,
their minds remain unaffected; and
WHEREAS, On Sunday, June 23, 2013, the ALS Association Greater New
York Chapter will host its 12th Annual Walk to Defeat ALS at the scenic
campus of Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York in the Town of
Harrison; and
WHEREAS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is responsible for nearly two
deaths per 100,000 people each year; approximately 5,600 people in the
United States are newly diagnosed with ALS each year; there are thirty
thousand people living with ALS today in the United States; and
WHEREAS, ALS occurs throughout the world with no age, racial, ethnic,
or socioeconomic boundaries; this devastating disease has impacted the
lives of many people across New York State including the late United
States Senator from New York, Jacob K. Javits; and
WHEREAS, The ALS Association's mission is to lead the fight to cure
and treat ALS through global, cutting-edge research and to empower
people with ALS and their families to live fuller lives by providing
them with compassionate care and support; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to urge all of our
citizens to support the search for a cure of ALS and assist those indi-
viduals and families who deal with this devastating disorder on a daily
basis; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association's 12th
Annual Westchester Walk to Defeat ALS on June 23, 2013, in New York
State; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the ALS Association Greater New York Chapter.