Dr. Ileana Howard is a rehabilitation medicine physician and serves as the medical director of a local ALS Association-certified ALS Center of Excellence. She is passionate about improving quality of life through symptom management and interdisciplinary care for persons with ALS, as well as through the education of health professionals in ALS-related care. She recently completed work with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine focused on accelerating therapeutic development and improving quality of life for persons with ALS. She has received local and national accolades for service to persons with ALS, including the Clinical Excellence award from the Paralyzed Veterans of America in 2018, and national Advocacy award by the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine in 2021.
An avid skier, cyclist, and hiker, Father Jim Lee, has been a pastor at St. Michael’s Parish in Olympia, Washington for over 20 years. With members of the church community, he has traveled to numerous countries for both missionary work and recreational trips. A few years ago, he began having difficulties with muscle twitches, upper body weakness, and leg cramps. Before long he was diagnosed with ALS. Father Jim describes getting his diagnosis, “When I was first diagnosed with ALS in November 2017, I was quite overwhelmed. I knew little or nothing about ALS. When I went to the ALS Association website, I was both shaken with fear and encouraged by the work that had already been done.” As he sat alone at his favorite pub eating a Rueben sandwich and drinking a beer, he realized he “could not do this on my own. Not only would I need my closest priest friends, I would also need a group of people around me who loved me and would help me through this. I thought my journey would progress quickly, so I wasted no time in asking people to help.”
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Interested in speaking at our event? Contact PNWGala@als.org