ALS group to honor Valley woman

The local ALS Association will honor Jenny Hoff, a Spokane Valley woman who has lived with the disease for three years.

Hoff has made public speaking engagements to area schools and on local radio and television stations, educating students and the community about the neurodegenerative muscular disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The ALS Association’s Evergreen Chapter has proclaimed Hoff and Jeff Swartz, Hoff’s partner and caregiver, the family that best exemplifies the spirit of “ALS Across America” for the chapter in the Spokane and Greater Inland Empire during ALS Awareness Month in May.

Hoff ran her own lunch bistro for two years, and although she has limited use of her hands, she continues to cook, with the assistance of friends, volunteers and neighborhood children she has called “Angels on Empire,” once a month for elderly neighbors and friends living with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

She serves as a mentor for young people suffering from the disease, encouraging them to excel in their homework, assisting them in their daily needs and helping them with special projects.

Hoff also has participated in ALS Awareness Month locally, organizing a candlelight vigil to celebrate the lives of other patients who lost their battle to ALS.

For more information about the ALS Association’s Evergreen Chapter, call (866) 786-7257 or visit www.alsa-ec.org.