Title
To Recognize and Declare March 2016 as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month.
Body
WHEREAS, recognition of March as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month aims to recognize that multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease of the central nervous system, affecting at least 2.3 million people worldwide; and
WHEREAS, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society - Ohio Buckeye Chapter reports that in our state, they serve more than 20,000 people diagnosed with MS, and that the disease generally strikes people in the prime of life, between ages 20 through 50, and causes unpredictable effects in which the progression, severity and specific symptoms cannot be foreseen, and the cause and cure for this often debilitating disease remain unknown; and
WHEREAS, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society - Ohio Buckeye Chapter has been committed for more than 65 years to creating a world free of MS, heightening public knowledge about and insight into the disease while mobilizing people and resources so that everyone affected by MS can live their best lives as they stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever; and
WHEREAS, discovering the cause, finding a cure, and preventing future generations from being diagnosed with MS is an important task that the City of Columbus supports; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus recognizes the importance of finding the cause and cure of MS, a chronic and often devastating disease, and expresses its appreciation and admiration for the dedication that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society - Ohio Buckeye Chapter has shown toward a future free of MS; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby declare March 2016 as MS Awareness Month, and encourages all citizens to learn more about multiple sclerosis and what they can do to support individuals with MS and their families.