Declare Epilepsy Awareness Month

Senate Resolution No. 2460 BY: Senator HANNON MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim November 2017, as Epilepsy Awareness Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official months that are set aside to increase awareness of serious conditions that affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim November 2017, as Epilepsy Awareness Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Epilepsy Awareness Month; and WHEREAS, Epilepsy, also known as a seizure disorder, is a neurological disorder where the brain's normal electrical pattern is disrupted by sudden and synchronized bursts of electrical energy that may affect consciousness, movement or sensation while creating long-term effects on the lifestyle of individuals with epilepsy; and WHEREAS, Epilepsy is a complex neurological disorder that results in almost one-third of epilepsy patients living with uncontrolled seizures due to a lack of clinically available treatment that works for them; and WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, epilepsy affects an estimated 3 million Americans, and 65 million people worldwide; and WHEREAS, 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy and 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed each year in the United States, and approximately 50,000 people will die from an epilepsy-related cause; and WHEREAS, Epilepsy affects more people than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's combined; and WHEREAS, It strikes most often among the very young and the very old, although anyone can develop epilepsy at any age; in the United States, it affects more than 300,000 children under the age of 15, more than 90,000 of whom have seizures that cannot be adequately treated; and WHEREAS, The number of epilepsy cases in the elderly is climbing as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age; more than 570,000 adults age 65 and above have the condition; it costs the United States approximately $15.5 billion each year in caring for and treating epilepsy; and WHEREAS, While medications and other treatments help many people of all ages who live with epilepsy, more than a million people continue to have seizures that can severely limit their school achievements, employment prospects and participation in all of life's experiences; and WHEREAS, Despite its prevalence, epilepsy is among the least understood of major chronic medical conditions, even though one in three adults knows someone with the disorder; and WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater public awareness of this serious health condition, and more must be done to increase activity at the local, State and national levels; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim November 2017, as Epilepsy Awareness Month in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, and the Epilepsy Foundation.