LEGISLATIVE   RESOLUTION  memorializing  Governor  Andrew  M.  Cuomo  to
proclaim September 2011 as Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease  Awareness  Month
in the State of New York
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official
days  that  are  set  aside to increase awareness of serious issues that
affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and
  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its  long-
standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to memori-
alize  Governor  Andrew  M. Cuomo to proclaim September 2011 as Charcot-
Marie-Tooth Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York; and
  WHEREAS, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is one of the  most  common
inherited  neurological  disorders,  affecting  approximately 1 in 2,500
people in the United States; and
  WHEREAS, The disease is named for the three physicians who first iden-
tified it in 1886,  Jean-Martin  Charcot  and  Pierre  Marie  in  Paris,
France, and Howard Henry Tooth in Cambridge, England; and
  WHEREAS,  CMT,  also  known as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy
(HMSN) or peroneal muscular atrophy, comprises a group of disorders that
affect peripheral nerves which lie outside the brain and spinal cord and
supply the muscles and sensory organs in the  limbs  known  as  neuropa-
thies; and
  WHEREAS,  The neuropathy of CMT affects both motor and sensory nerves;
a typical feature includes weakness of the foot and lower  leg  muscles,
which  may  result  in  foot  drop and a high-stepped gait with frequent
tripping or falls; and
  WHEREAS, Foot deformities, such as high arches and hammertoes are also
characteristic of patients with CMT due to weakness of the small muscles
in the feet; in addition, the lower legs may take on an "inverted  cham-
pagne bottle" appearance due to the loss of muscle bulk; and
  WHEREAS,  Later  in the disease, weakness and muscle atrophy may occur
in the hands, resulting in  difficulty  with  carrying  out  fine  motor
skills; and
  WHEREAS,  Onset  of  symptoms  is  most  often in adolescence or early
adulthood, but some individuals develop symptoms in  mid-adulthood;  the
severity  of  symptoms  varies  greatly among individuals and even among
family members with the disease; and
  WHEREAS, Progression of CMT symptoms is gradual; pain can  range  from
mild  to  severe, and some people may need to rely on foot or leg braces
or other orthopedic devices to maintain mobility; and
  WHEREAS, Although in rare  cases,  individuals  may  have  respiratory
muscle  weakness,  CMT is not considered a fatal disease and people with
most forms of CMT have a normal life expectancy; and
  WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater  public  awareness  of
this serious health issue, and more must be done to increase activity at
the  local, State and national levels to support the patients as well as
their families; now, therefore, be it
  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause  in  its  deliberations  to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim September 2011 as Char-
cot-Marie-Tooth Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York; and be
it further
  RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted  to  The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York.