Sen. Dahl highlights November as RSD Awareness Month

On Monday, November 1, 2010, Sen. Gary Dahl welcomed RSD advocate Bea Danko to his district office to present her with a copy of House Bill 9 – a measure she inspired that establishes the RSD Education Program to promote public awareness of the syndrome and the importance of early detection, diagnosis, and treatment. The Senator sponsored the bill on Danko’s behalf, after attending her RSD support group and hearing about the difficult challenges sufferers face.
“It was really eye opening to me,” Dahl said. “People with RSD face tremendous challenges on a daily basis, both physically and emotionally. It’s important we help raise awareness about this disease to not only help those who suffer from it, but to enhance early detection.”
Sen. Dahl sponsored the measure after Bea Danko, a Streator resident who suffers from RSDS, asked for his help in having state government to do more to raise public awareness of the syndrome.
RSD is a serious, often debilitating, neurological syndrome that impacts more than 500,000 Americans. Symptoms include burning pain, changes to bones and skin, tissue swelling and extreme sensitivity to touch that, if untreated, results in permanent deformity and chronic pain.