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Recognizing the month of May as Celiac Disease Awareness Month in Philadelphia and honoring eight-year-old Philadelphian Jax Bari for shining a national light on ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir on the need for increased federal funding for Celiac research and federally mandated labeling of gluten on all packaged foods.
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WHEREAS, May is nationally recognized as Celiac Disease Awareness Month. Each May, the Celiac community comes together to advocate for awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research for treatment options and a cure; and
WHEREAS, According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, Celiac Disease is a serious autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It is estimated to impact 1 in 100 people worldwide, and about 3 million Americans; and
WHEREAS, For Celiac Disease sufferers, gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, is poison to their bodies. Even a trace amount (a crumb) triggers an immune response leading the body to attack the small intestine. This intestinal damage causes more than 200 debilitating symptoms. Moreover, according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, gluten ingestion for people with Celiac Disease causes permanent immunological scarring, doubles the risk of heart disease, and acts as a carcinogen, quadrupling the risk of small intestinal cancers; and
WHEREAS, As one of his projects in 2nd Grade at Penn Charter, Jax has been working on persuasive letters. In May of 2021, Jax Bari wrote a letter about his Celiac journey to David Muir, anchor of ABC News' World News Tonight. Jax hoped to bring national attention to the illness and the need for a cure on a national scale; and
WHEREAS, Jax wrote to Mr. Muir, "When I turned 8 in May, I wished for a cure for Celiac Disease for me and 3 Million Americans with Celiac. I watch you every night on World News with my dad... You are a great storyteller...
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