Prince George, B.C. – The annual walk for ALS – Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – (better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) takes place at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park tomorrow.

Registration begins at 10 a.m. and the walk will start at 11 a.m. (Routes through the park vary but the average distance is 2 kilometres.)

ALS Walk coordinator Charlene Vohar – photo 250News

Walk coordinator Charlene Vohar says they hope to build on the success of last year’s event.

“We attracted around 150 people last year and raised a record $24,000. We’re hoping for 175 people this year and would like to raise $25,000.”

ALS is a progressive and terminal neurodegenerative disease where nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movements die. It robs you of your ability to walk, talk, swallow and eventually breathe.

There are 2,500-3,000 people living with ALS in Canada while two to three people are diagnosed each day. Five to 10 per cent of cases are inherited – the rest are unknown.

The average life expectancy for a sufferer of ALS is 2 to 5 years and the average cost to a family over the course of the disease is $150,000 to $200,000.