SR0433 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0433 LRB096 14807 KXB 29669 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Over 42,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year in the United States and over 35,000 will die from the disease; and

WHEREAS, Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 1,600 deaths will occur in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, 76 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of their diagnosis and 95 percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first five years; and

WHEREAS, There is no cure for pancreatic cancer and there have been no significant improvements in early detection, treatment methods, or survival rates in the last 30 years; and

WHEREAS, When symptoms of pancreatic cancer present themselves, it is usually too late for an optimistic prognosis, and the average life expectancy of those diagnosed with metastasis disease is only three to six months; and

WHEREAS, Incidents of pancreatic cancer are approximately 50 percent higher in African-Americans than in other ethnic groups; and

WHEREAS, The federal government invests less money in pancreatic cancer research than it does in any of the other leading cancer killers; and

WHEREAS, The good health and well-being of the residents of Illinois are enhanced as a direct result of increased awareness about pancreatic cancer and research into early detection, causes, and effective treatments; and

WHEREAS, The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the first and only national patient advocacy organization that serves the pancreatic cancer community in Illinois and nationwide by focusing its efforts on public policy, research funding, patient services, and public awareness and education related to developing effective treatments and a cure for pancreatic cancer; and

WHEREAS, The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and its affiliates in Illinois support those patients currently battling pancreatic cancer, as well as to those who have lost their lives to the disease, and are committed to nothing less than a cure; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Illinois Senate designate the month of November, 2009 "Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month" in the State of Illinois.