| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, Few people know of mitochondrial disease, yet
| ||||||
3 | every 30 minutes a child is born who will develop this disease | ||||||
4 | by
the age of 10; and
| ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, There is no cure for mitochondrial disease; and | ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, Mitochondrial disease is often misdiagnosed; and | ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, Mitochondrial disease occurs when mitochondria
| ||||||
8 | inside of cells, which are responsible for creating more than | ||||||
9 | 90% of
the energy needed by the body to sustain life and | ||||||
10 | support growth,
fail to carry out their primary functions; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, When mitochondria fail, less energy is
generated | ||||||
12 | within the cell; and | ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, If this process is repeated throughout the body,
| ||||||
14 | whole systems begin to fail, and the person's life is severely | ||||||
15 | compromised; and | ||||||
16 | WHEREAS, The disease primarily affects children; and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, Diseases of the mitochondria appear to cause the
| ||||||
18 | most damage to cells of the brain, heart, liver, skeletal |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | muscles,
kidneys, and the endocrine and respiratory systems; | ||||||
2 | and
| ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, Common symptoms include muscle weakness and
pain, | ||||||
4 | gastrointestinal disorders, poor growth, cardiac disease, | ||||||
5 | liver disease, diabetes, respiratory problems, seizures, | ||||||
6 | visual and hearing
problems, and susceptibility to infection; | ||||||
7 | and
| ||||||
8 | WHEREAS, Because so little is known about the disease, | ||||||
9 | there
are only a few hospitals in the world that offer | ||||||
10 | treatment, causing
affected families to travel regularly or | ||||||
11 | even relocate to receive
treatment; and
| ||||||
12 | WHEREAS, Mitochondrial disease is progressive, likely
| ||||||
13 | terminal, and requires a high level of care and extremely | ||||||
14 | expensive
medical treatment that often exceeds covered | ||||||
15 | insurance benefits,
creating great financial burdens on | ||||||
16 | affected families; and
| ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, The 3rd week of September is observed globally
as | ||||||
18 | Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week; therefore, be it
| ||||||
19 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL | ||||||
20 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate the 3rd | ||||||
21 | week of September 2014 as Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | in the State of Illinois; and be it further
| ||||||
2 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
3 | presented to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation | ||||||
4 | (UMDF) and the Chicago Area Chapter of the UMDF.
|