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7. D. Proclamation Designating Month of November, 2001 as National Epilepsy Awareness Month The Proclamation below is entered for the record . PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER, 2001 , AS NATIONAL EPILEPSY AWARENESS MONTH WHEREAS , Epilepsy, also known as Seizure Disorder, has afflicted mankind since the dawn of our speciesandhasbeenrecognizedsincetheearliestmedicalwritings ; and WHEREAS, as long ago as 400 B . C . , Hippocrates , the Father of Medicine , repudiated ancient beliefs that Epilepsy was either a visitation from the gods and sacred or that it was a curse from the gods and people afflictedwiththisdisorderheldpropheticpowers . Hippocrates believed that Epilepsy was a brain disorder; and WHEREAS, a seizure is a sudden, brief attack of altered consciousness , motor activity or sensoryphenomena . It is a sign that certain brain cells , known as neurons , are discharging an excessive amount ofelectricalimpulses; and WHEREAS, Epilepsy can be caused by injury to the brain, lack of oxygen at birth , brain tumor, infection species and brain hemorrhage. In sixty percent of the cases, the cause is unknown and Epilepsy can affect anyone , at any age and at any time, and more than two million Americans and one hundred and fifty thousandFloridaresidentsareafflictedwithsometypeofEpilepsy; and WHEREAS, with the administration of anticonvulsant drugs, two thirds of those afflicted with Epilepsy are drugcontrolled ; but lack of education about this disorder has contributed to age-old myths , superstitions and prejudices , making the stigma associated with this disorder sometimes worse than the disorder itself; and WHEREAS, studies carried out in the United States over the past thirty years have indicated that of all disabilities, Epilepsy poses the greatest barrier to employment with unemployment rates estimated at betweentwentyandtwenty-five percent; and WHEREAS, people who have Epilepsy make reliable and conscientious workers in job performance , productivity, safety, cooperation and attendance and 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 whoarewillingtogivethemanopportunitytobecomeproductivecitizens . NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA, that the month of November, 2001 , be designated as NATIONAL EPILEPSY AWARENESS MONTH in Indian River County. Adopted this 16th day of October, 2001 . BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA Carolineh / 1iwxJ IL October 16 , 2001 24 13