On a day when the Articles of Impeachment were sent to the Senate from the U.S. House, leaders from both parties joined on Wednesday to honor one former Spokanite with the Congressional Gold Medal.
Steve Gleason played football at Gonzaga Prep and Washington State University and went on to play with the New Orleans Saints.
Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, but even that couldn’t slow him down, as witnessed by his famous quote, “No white flags.”
Speakers at his Washington, D.C. ceremony included Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Among Gleason’s accomplishments, helping to get Congress to pass the Steve Gleason Act, which allows Medicare to cover speech generating devices for ALS patients and others.
It was through such a device that Gleason was able to address the congressional audience Wednesday.
“I believe that adversity is our opportunity to keep exploring because we will all face pain and tragedy. But it’s clear to me that beyond the human capacity of imagination, our greatest strength as a species has been our ability to bravely share our weaknesses and vulnerabilities with each other,” Gleason said.
One who was influenced by Gleason was Gonzaga Prep senior Xzandre Jean-Francois, who had a chance to meet the football star two years ago when he visited New Orleans while participating in the Margins Program to study social and economic justice.
“He’s a great example of light, love, passion, and work ethic, especially in the face of adversity. I always try to dream big, so what No White Flags does for me is nothing is too big, if you have the drive and commitment, nothing can stop you,” Jean-Francois said.
Gleason also founded the Team Gleason Foundation, which works to advocate for those suffering from ALS and search for a cure for the disease.
