HomeMy WebLinkAboutII (B) Proclamation - Epilepsy Awareness Month - November I AGENDA 10-13-96
6 I Item II B
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WHEREAS, Epilepsy, also known as Seizure Disorder, has afflicted mankind since the dawn
of our species and has been recognized since the earliest medical writings; and
WHEREAS; as long ago as 400 B.C.,Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine,repudiated ancient
beliefs that Epilepsy was a visitation from the gods and sacred or that it was-a
curse from the gods that people afflicted with this disorder held prophetic powers.
Hippocrates believed that Epilepsy was a brain disorder; and
WHEREAS, a seizure is a sudden, brief attack of altered consciousness, motor activity or
sensory phenomena. It is a sign that certain brain cells(neurons)are discharging
an excessive amount of electrical impulses; and
WHEREAS, Epilepsy can be caused by injury to the brain, lack of oxygen at birth, brain
tumor, infection and brain hemorrhage. In sixty percent of the cases, the cause
is unknown; and
WHEREAS, Epilepsy can affect anyone, at any age and at any time; and
WHEREAS, more than two million Americans are afflicted with some type of Epilepsy. Of
this number, 150,000 are Florida residents; and
WHEREAS, with the administration of anticonvulsant drugs, two-thirds (66.66%) of those
afflicted with Epilepsy,are drug controlled; and
WHEREAS, lack of education about this disorder has '`contributed to age old myths,
superstitions and prejudices; and
WHEREAS, the stigma associated with this disorder is sometimes worse than the disorder
itself; and - -
WHEREAS, people who have Epilepsy make reliable and conscientious workers in job
performance, productivity, safety, cooperation and attendance; and
WHEREAS, studies carried out inthe United States over the past thirty years have indicated
that of all disabilities,;Epilepsy poses the greatest barrier to employment with
unemployment rates estimated::to fall'between twenty and twenty-five percent;and
WHEREAS, Epilepsy should not be a barrier to success. In addition to the normal
requirements for success, a person who has Epilepsy needs a supportive
environment and employers who are willing to give them an opportunity to
become productive citizens,
NOW,THEREFORE,I,S.Scott Vandergrift,Mayor of the City of Ocoee,do hereby proclaim
the month of November in Ocoee as
EPILEPSY AWARENESS MONTH
AND FURTHER, that a copy of this Proclamation shall be sent to the Committee for
Epilepsy Awareness, 10214 NW 80th Drive, Tamarac, Florida 33321.
AP.-- , - IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have
/ (23 hereunto set my hand and caused the
f�a I ,1>l ,� Seal of the City of Ocoee, Florida to
a`c.J/ T1 1, ��, 1V- be affixed this 15th day of October,
I k-1 .1 ji .!, i.,` 1996. _
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flIC; 'z, ,� I S. Scott Vandergrift, Mayor ; ;