R 262

2019 -- H 6058 Enacted 05/02/2019

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

COMMEMORATING "WORLD LUPUS DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND ON MAY 10, 2019

Introduced By: Representatives Diaz, Serpa, Caldwell, Ackerman, and Fellela

Date Introduced: May 02, 2019

WHEREAS, World Lupus Day began 11 years ago when an international steering

committee representing Lupus organizations from 13 different nations met in Eaton, United

Kingdom, and issued a proclamation and organized the first observance of World Lupus Day. The

proclamation was a demand for action asking for governments across the globe to increase their

funding in support of Lupus research, public awareness, and patient services; and

WHEREAS, Lupus is a devastating and debilitating chronic disease that afflicts more

than 5 million people worldwide, men and women, all races, ages, and nationalities. Lupus is

incurable and can cause life-threatening damage to any part of the body including all organs,

joints, and skin; and

WHEREAS, Lupus damages the immune system, which is the part of the human body

that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs. Under normal circumstances, our immune system

produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from "invaders". Becoming autoimmune

due to Lupus means that one's immune system cannot tell the difference between "foreign

invaders" like the flu, and your body's healthy tissues, thereby creating autoantibodies that attack

and destroy healthy tissue, causing inflammation, intense pain, and damage to various parts of the

body; and

WHEREAS, Many physicians worldwide are unaware of the symptoms and effects of

Lupus, causing people with Lupus to suffer many years before they obtain a correct diagnosis and

medical treatment; and

WHEREAS, Medical research efforts into Lupus and the discovery and development of

safer, more effective treatments for Lupus patients are under-funded in comparison with diseases

of similar magnitude and severity; and

WHEREAS, People with Lupus will face a lifetime of living with the unpredictable and

life-changing health effects of this disease; and

WHEREAS, There is a deep, unmet need worldwide to educate and support individuals

and families affected by Lupus; and

WHEREAS, There is an urgent need to increase awareness in communities worldwide of

the devastating impact of Lupus; and

WHEREAS, World Lupus Day is a day during which Lupus organizations around the

globe call for increases in public and private sector funding for medical research on Lupus,

targeted education programs for health professionals, patients and the public, and worldwide

recognition of Lupus as a significant health issue; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby commemorates "World Lupus Day" in the State of Rhode Island

on May 10, 2019; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Aida Crosson, Rhode Island Ambassador,

Lupus Foundation of New England.

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LC002404

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