RESOLUTION
BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT COLLINS-BELLAMY, MAJORITY LEADER RUBBO, MAJORITY WHIP ROBINSON, MINORITY LEADER BREEN, COUNCILMEMBERS, PINEDA-ISAAC, DIAZ AND MERANTE:
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RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF YONKERS DECLARING THE MONTH OF MAY 2025 "ALS AWARENESS MONTH"
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WHEREAS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and known by many as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord; making even the simplest movements - walking, speaking, gesturing - nearly impossible; and
WHEREAS, approximately 30,000 individuals in the United States are afflicted with ALS at any given time, with more than 6,000 new cases appearing each year; and
WHEREAS, approximately 15 new cases of ALS are diagnosed every day, with a person losing their battle with the disease every 90 minutes; and
WHEREAS, the average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from the time of diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, ALS strikes people regardless of race, sex, age, or ethnicity; and
WHEREAS, finding the causes of, and cure for, ALS will prevent the disease from robbing hundreds of thousands of Americans of their dignity and lives; and
WHEREAS, aggressive treatments of the symptoms of ALS can extend the lives of those living with the disease; and
WHEREAS, Patrick Quinn, a native and resident of the City of Yonkers who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013, co-founded the famous ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with his friend and fellow ALS campaigner Pete Frates; and
WHEREAS, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was a tremendous event that raised $115 million in the summer of 2014 that brought awareness to the devastating disease and helped spur a large increase to the ALS Association's budget to conduct important and impactful research; and
WHEREAS, on December 9, 2019, Pete Frates unfortunately passed away from the disease at the age of 34; and
WHEREAS, on November 22, 2020, Patrick Quinn also unfortunately pass...
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