SCR 1-LUPUS AWARENESS MONTH  1:39:09 PM CAIR DAVIS announced the next order of business would be SCR 1. [CSSCR 1(STA) was before the committee.] CELESTE HODGE, staff to Senator Bettye Davis, sponsor of SCR1, introduced and explained the resolution. SCR 1 designates May as Lupus Awareness Month, and encourages Alaskans to observe Lupus Awareness Month with appropriate activities that provide both education and support for those diagnosed with the disease. Lupus is a chronic auto-immune disease that causes inflammation and tissue damage. It can affect any body part, including the skin, lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain. Lupus can cause seizures, strokes, heart attacks, miscarriages, and organ failure. It strikes mostly women of childbearing age, and women of color develop lupus at a rate two to three times the rate of Caucasians. It is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of other illnesses. Each year May is designated as Lupus Awareness Month to show support for the estimated 1.5 million Americans with lupus. More than 3,000 cases have been diagnosed in Alaska. By designating May as Lupus Awareness Month, Alaska will join other states in helping to increase awareness of lupus and show support for those diagnosed with the disease. SENATOR MEYER said he had heard the bill in State Affairs, and asked if the disease typically affects younger people. MS. HODGE confirmed that it does. 1:42:30 PM ANNA TILLMAN, Executive Director, Lupus Foundation Alaska Chapter, said most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 40. But it can happen at any age. Often people have lupus when they are younger and it never gets diagnosed. Diagnosis is based on the elimination of other diseases. Lupus has been called the least known major disease; 90 percent of victims are women and 15 percent are children. Lupus is a chronic auto immune disease that can damage any part of the body. It creates antibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue, and is also a disease of flares and remission. Symptoms can range from mild to life threatening. With early diagnosis and good care, a person can live a normal lifespan. Many patients do lose the ability to work, and treatments are a heavy burden financially. A new drug specifically for lupus was approved by the FDA last Friday; this is the first new drug specifically for lupus that has been approved in 50 years. 1:47:18 PM KIRSTY BAUMGARTNER, Lupus Foundation Alaska Chapter, said she was also calling on behalf of a family member with lupus, and stressed the importance of awareness. CHARLOTTE BAUMGARTNER, Lupus Foundation Alaska Chapter, said she was also the sister of a lupus patient. Many patients have minor symptoms while others are totally debilitated. Her sister has been living with lupus for 20 plus years. She had to stop working because of damage to her lungs, kidneys, and brain. Current treatments can cause side effects almost as devastating as the disease itself. ALICIA SAHIMARI, Senior Director of Government Relations, Lupus Foundation of America, said the foundation supports SCR1. They are dedicated to finding the cause and cure for lupus. 1:53:58 PM CHAIR DAVIS closed public testimony on SCR 1. SENATOR EGAN moved to report CSSCR 1 (STA) from committee with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, it was so ordered.