City of New Albany

P r o c l a m a t i o n

Whereas: an estimated 10 million people in the United States—6 to 8 percent of the

population of our country—and millions of people worldwide have been

diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a disease for which there is no known cause or cure; and

Whereas: fibromyalgia is a chronic illness—increasing at alarming rates—that causes

fatigue and debilitating pain in women, men, and children of all ethnicities; and

Whereas: patients with this illness often have to learn to live with widespread pain throughout their bodies; extreme fatigue; sleep disorders; stiffness and weakness; migraine headaches; numbness and tingling; impairment of memory and concentration; and

Whereas: it may take years to receive a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, and medical professionals frequently are inadequately educated on the diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia; and

Whereas: increased awareness and expanded knowledge of the realities of life with fibromyalgia will allow the community at large to better support people who struggle with the challenges of this chronic pain disorder; and

Whereas: the National Fibromyalgia Association is a nonprofit charitable organization and the publisher of Fibromyalgia AWARE, the first and only consumer magazine for fibromyalgia; and

Whereas: the National Fibromyalgia Association and The Louisville-New Albany Fibromyalgia Meetup Group and other groups around our country have joined together to promote fibromyalgia awareness and support—including improved education, diagnosis, research, and treatment; and

Whereas: the National Fibromyalgia Association is urging fibromyalgia patients and their supporters, healthcare providers, and the general public to demonstrate their caring by sharing the road patients walk, the facts about fibromyalgia, and ever-growing awareness about the etiology of this disorder and potential treatments; and

Whereas: the community’s focus on fibromyalgia and its impact on patients’ lives will help guarantee hope for a better future for people with fibromyalgia.

Now, therefore, I, Douglas B. England, Mayor of the City of New Albany, in the State of Indiana, do hereby proclaim May 12, 2010 as

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

and urge all of our citizens to support the search for a cure and assist those individuals and families who deal with this devastating disease on a daily basis.

Witness my hand and the seal of the City of New Albany, Indiana this 12th Day of May in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Ten.

_______________________________________

Douglas B. England

Mayor, Civil City of New Albany, Indiana