HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.249
Reps. Byrnes, Miller, Aiyash, Breen, Jaime Greene, Haadsma,
Hill, Liberati, MacDonell, Paiz and Rheingans offered the following
resolution:
1 A resolution to declare May 2024 as Huntington's Disease
2 Awareness Month in the state of Michigan.
3 Whereas, Huntington's disease is a progressive degenerative
4 neurological disease affecting 41,000 Americans while another
5 200,000 are genetically at risk of inheriting the expanded gene
6 responsible for causing the disease; and
7 Whereas, Each child of a parent with Huntington's disease has
8 a 50 percent chance of inheriting the Huntington's disease gene;
9 and
10 Whereas, Huntington's disease typically occurs in mid-life,
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1 between the ages of 30 and 50, though onset has been known to occur
2 in children as young as 2 years of age; and
3 Whereas, The average lifespan after onset of Huntington's
4 disease is 10-20 years, and the younger the age of onset, the more
5 rapid the progression of the disease, resulting in children who
6 develop the juvenile form of the disease rarely living to
7 adulthood; and
8 Whereas, Since the discovery of the gene that causes
9 Huntington's disease in 1993, the pace of HD research has
10 accelerated. Scientists across the nation are conducting important
11 research into Huntington's Disease, which at present has no
12 effective treatment or cure; and
13 Whereas, It is critical to the success of research and support
14 services to raise awareness in the general public and the medical
15 community about Huntington's disease; now, therefore, be it
16 Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of
17 this legislative body declare May 2024 as Huntington's Disease
18 Awareness Month in the state of Michigan. We encourage all citizens
19 to join in the observance.