Author: Jennifer Brock
Last saved by: Margaret Ford
Company: HP

ENROLLED SENATE
RESOLUTION NO. 55	By:	Johnson (Constance), Adelson, Aldridge, Allen, Anderson, Ballenger, Barrington, Bass, Bingman, Branan, Brecheen, Brinkley, Brown, Burrage, Childers, Coates, Crain, David, Eason McIntyre, Ellis, Fields, Ford, Garrison, Griffin, Halligan, Holt, Ivester, Johnson (Rob), Jolley, Justice, Laster, Lerblance, Marlatt, Mazzei, McAffrey, Newberry, Nichols, Paddack, Russell, Schulz, Shortey, Simpson, Sparks, Stanislawski, Sykes, Treat, Wilson and Wyrick

A Resolution recognizing May 3, 2012, as "Lupus Advocacy Day" at the State Capitol; and commending the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for its Lupus research.

WHEREAS, each year the Lupus Foundation of America designates May as National Lupus Awareness Month to show support for the estimated 1.5 million Americans, including over 25,000 Oklahomans, who have lupus; and

WHEREAS, more women die each year from lupus than of breast cancer; and

WHEREAS, lupus is an acute and chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system is unbalanced, causing inflammation and tissue damage to virtually every organ system in the body; and

WHEREAS, lupus can affect any part of the body, including the skin, lungs, heart, kidneys and brain; no organ is spared.  The disease can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages and organ failures; and

WHEREAS, while lupus can strike men and women of all ages, 90 percent of individuals diagnosed with the disease are women, mostly of childbearing age.  No one is safe from lupus; African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans are two to three times more likely to develop lupus, a disparity that remains unexplained; and

WHEREAS, lupus can be particularly difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of many other illnesses, and major gaps exist in understanding the causes and consequences of lupus; and

WHEREAS, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City, one of the leaders in lupus research, recently found genes that could signify that lupus can be passed on from one generation to another.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 2ND SESSION OF THE 53RD OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:

THAT the Oklahoma State Senate recognizes May 3, 2012, as "Lupus Advocacy Day" at the State Capitol.

THAT the Oklahoma State Senate commends the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for its groundbreaking lupus research.

Adopted by the Senate the 1st day of May, 2012.

	
	Presiding Officer of the Senate

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