Expressing support for the designation of September 2018 as "Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month".

Whereas pulmonary fibrosis is a debilitating and ultimately fatal lung condition that causes progressive scarring in the lungs and has no definitive cause;

Whereas as many as 200,000 individuals in the United States are known to suffer from pulmonary fibrosis, the majority of whom are aged 50 and older;

Whereas the average life expectancy from the diagnosis of the idiopathic form of pulmonary fibrosis is just 2.8 years, and as many as 80 percent of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients die within 5 years of diagnosis;

Whereas pulmonary fibrosis takes the lives of 40,000 or more individuals in the United States each year—approximately 1 individual every 13 minutes;

Whereas many patients afflicted with pulmonary fibrosis are misdiagnosed for 1 year or longer after the patients are presenting with pulmonary fibrosis symptoms;

Whereas, as of July 2018, there are no confirmed biomarkers for screening and testing for pulmonary fibrosis;

Whereas a cure, treatment, or drug to halt the fibrotic process in pulmonary fibrosis does not yet exist;

Whereas the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis vary from person to person and include shortness of breath, a dry cough, fatigue, weight loss, and aching muscles and joints;

Whereas volunteers, researchers, caregivers, and medical professionals are working to improve the quality of life for individuals with pulmonary fibrosis and for the families of those individuals; and

Whereas developing more effective treatments for pulmonary fibrosis and providing access to quality care to individuals with pulmonary fibrosis requires increased research, education, and community support services: Now, therefore, be it