Declare Epilepsy Awareness Month

Senate Resolution No. 258 BY: Senator RIVERA MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim November 2019, as Epilepsy Awareness Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official months dedicated to raising awareness of serious conditions impacting 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 2019, as Epilepsy Awareness Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Epilepsy Awareness Month; and WHEREAS, Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by seizures that consist of sudden and synchronized bursts of electrical energy that disrupt the brain's normal electrical pattern; it is a spectrum condition with a wide range of seizure types and control that varies from person to person; and WHEREAS, These seizures may impact consciousness, movement or sensation, and create long-term effects on the lifestyles of individuals with epilepsy; and WHEREAS, Approximately one-third of epilepsy patients live with uncontrolled seizures due to a lack of suitable clinically available treatment; and WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that epilepsy impacts roughly 3.4 million Americans and 65 million people worldwide; 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy 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; in the United States, 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed each year; and WHEREAS, While anyone can develop epilepsy at any age, some common risk factors include babies who are born small for their age or with abnormal areas in the brain, babies who have seizures in the first month of their life, and people with serious brain injury or lack of oxygen to the brain, brain tumors, infections of the brain, cerebral palsy, family history of seizures, Alzheimer's disease (late in the illness), Autism spectrum disorder, use of cocaine, or strokes resulting from the blockage of arteries; and WHEREAS, In the United States, Epilepsy 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, More than 570,000 adults age 65 and older have the condition, as the number of epilepsy cases in the elderly is increasing with the baby boom generation reaching retirement age; and WHEREAS, 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, Even with the roughly 150,000 new cases of epilepsy in the United States each year, epilepsy continues to be one of least understood major chronic medical conditions; thus, it is the hope that a month of awareness in New York State and beyond will make for greater public awareness and increase the activity at the local, state and national level; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim November 2019, 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.