Dr. Ileana Howard is the Medical Co-Director of VA Puget Sound, an ALS Association Certified Treatment Center of Excellence, and will be joining us at our ALS Nexus conference to share her insights while exploring actionable steps to dismantle barriers to access, from advocating for policy changes to fostering community partnerships, to ensure everyone living with ALS has access to state-of-the-art care.

In recognition of National Volunteer Week, we are shining a spotlight on some of The ALS Association’s amazing, dedicated volunteers, and highlighting the incredible work they are doing to support our mission.

I am the legacy of Oscar Aukschun, who was a wood pattern maker and first generation American and a resident of Cleveland, Ohio who developed weakness of his hands and arms in 1943 around the age of 43 years. He was a hard-working father who provided for his wife and three children.

People living with ALS eventually lose the ability to speak. That means that preserving channels of communication is an important component of enhancing quality of life. The ALS Association - DC/MD/VA Chapter took this to heart when they initiated The Esther Lerner Brenner ALS Assistive Technology Lab in Maryland, which is designed to help people living with ALS communicate effectively for as long as possible.

People with ALS come first in everything we do. The ALS Association is dedicated to providing those fighting ALS, their families, and friends with the critical information, support, and resources necessary to live a full life and better meet daily challenges.