HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.253
Reps. Mueller, Alexander, Bezotte, Breen, Byrnes, Glanville,
Haadsma, Hill, Liberati, Lightner, Paiz, Rheingans, Rogers, Weiss and
Wilson offered the following resolution:
1 A resolution to declare May 2024 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness
2 Month in the state of Michigan.
3 Whereas, Cystic fibrosis, commonly referred to as CF, is a
4 genetic disease affecting approximately 40,000 children and adults
5 in the United States living with CF, and approximately 105,000
6 people having been diagnosed worldwide across 94 countries; and
7 Whereas, Cystic fibrosis starts in the body with a defective
8 gene that causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky
9 mucus that clogs the lungs, and these secretions produce life-
10 threatening lung infections and obstruct the pancreas, preventing
CF Awareness M 24H
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1 digestive enzymes from reaching the intestine to help break down
2 and absorb food; and
3 Whereas, More than 10 million Americans are symptomless
4 carriers of the defective gene, approximately 1,000 new cases of CF
5 are diagnosed each year with 75 percent being diagnosed before age
6 two and sadly people of color remain underdiagnosed in the United
7 States and the world; and
8 Whereas, Infant blood screening to detect genetic defects is
9 the most reliable and least costly method to identify persons
10 likely to have CF and early diagnosis permits earlier treatment and
11 enhances quality of life and longevity, the treatments determined
12 by stage and organs effected; and
13 Whereas, In 1989, scientists made a ground-breaking discovery
14 of the defective CFTR gene responsible for CF. The discovery paved
15 the way for understanding CF at a molecular level leading to
16 development or targeted treatments including the approval of drugs
17 that managed symptoms; and
18 Whereas, Entering the 2000s, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s
19 Therapeutics Development Program made significant investments to
20 which have led to breakthrough drug therapies aimed at the
21 underlying genetic defect; and
22 Whereas, Innovative treatments and access to care play a
23 critical role for individuals with CF getting the treatments and
24 increasing their quality and life expectancy, which in the United
25 States in 2018 the median survival age was 41 and has now risen to
26 56 years. While areas of the world without the level of access and
27 care the survival age is 8 years or younger; and
28 Whereas, The state of Michigan has eight world-class treatment
29 centers specializing in the diagnosis and care of CF and non-profit
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1 advocacy groups which have served to care, educate, and raise
2 awareness but also to celebrate the resilience and achievements of
3 those individuals with CF and communities supporting the fight
4 against this challenging disease; now, therefore, be it
5 Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of
6 this legislative body declare May 2024 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness
7 Month in the state of Michigan.