,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #ehh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ai1 #bjbj,mr4 ,braun 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,cotton1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,ms4 ,mc,sally1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mr4 ,jones1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,ms4 ,sinema1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith1 ,ms4 ,murkowski1 ,mr4 ,johnson1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,scott of ,south ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,schumer1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,lankford1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 and ,ms4 ,klobuchar7 submitted the following resolution2 which was considered and agreed to ,,resolution ,designating ,may #bjbj as ,,als ,awareness ,month4 ,whereas amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 7referred to in this preamble as ,,als7 is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord2 ,whereas the life expectancy for an individual with ,,als is between #b and #e years after the date on which the individual receives an ,,als diagnosis2 ,whereas ,,als occurs throughout the world with no racial1 ethnic1 gender1 or socioeconomic boundaries2 ,whereas the #b different types of ,,als are sporadic ,,als and familial ,,als2 ,whereas sporadic ,,als-- 7#a7 is the most common form of motor neuron disease in the ,united ,states2 7#b7 accounts for between #ij and #ie percent of all cases of ,,als in the ,united ,states2 and 7#c7 may affect any individual in any location2 ,whereas familial ,,als 7commonly known as ,,fals7-- 7#a7 is inherited2 and 7#b7 accounts for between #e and #aj percent of all cases of ,,als in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas there is a #ej percent chance that each offspring of an individual with familial ,,als will inherit the gene mutation for familial ,,als and develop the disease2 ,whereas1 on average1 the period between the date on which an individual first experiences symptoms of ,,als and the date on which the individual is diagnosed with ,,als is about #a year2 ,whereas the onset of ,,als often involves muscle weakness or stiffness1 and the progression of ,,als results in the further weakening1 wasting1 and paralysis of-- 7#a7 the muscles of the limbs and trunk2 and 7#b7 the muscles that control vital functions1 such as speech1 swallowing1 and breathing2 ,whereas ,,als can strike individuals of any age but predominantly strikes adults2 ,whereas it is estimated that tens of thousands of individuals in the ,united ,states have ,,als at any given time2 ,whereas1 based on studies of the population of the ,united ,states1 slightly more than #e1fjj individuals in the ,united ,states are diagnosed with ,,als each year1 and #ae individuals in the ,united ,states are diagnosed with ,,als each day2 ,whereas1 between #bjae and #bjdj1 the number of ,,als cases around the world is expected to increase nearly #gj percent2 ,whereas the majority of individuals with ,,als die of respiratory failure2 ,whereas military veterans are approximately twice as likely to be diagnosed with ,,als than the general public in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas1 as of the date of introduction of this resolution1 there is no cure for ,,als2 ,whereas the spouses1 children1 and family members of individuals living with ,,als provide support to those individuals with love1 day-to-day care1 and more2 and ,whereas an individual with ,,als1 and the caregivers of such an individual1 can be required to bear significant costs for medical care1 equipment1 and home health care services for the individual as the disease progresses3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 designates ,may #bjbj as ,,als ,awareness ,month2 7#b7 affirms the dedication of the ,senate to working toward securing cures and better treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 7referred to in this resolution as ,,als7 as soon as possible2 7#c7 recognizes the challenges that individuals with medically determined ,,als face on a daily basis2 and 7#d7 commends the dedication of the family members1 friends1 organizations1 volunteers1 researchers1 and caregivers across the ,united ,states that are working to improve the quality and length of life of ,,als patients4