Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive disease of the nervous system that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Simply put, it slowly robs you of the ability to walk, talk, and eventually breathe.

Over 5,000 people are diagnosed each year. And it can take years to get an official diagnosis because there’s no definitive test for it, all other possibilities must be ruled out first. Once diagnosed, life expectancy on average is 2-5 years. What differs most for every person is how fast and in what order symptoms and progression occur. And, while the average survival time is three years, about 20% of people with ALS live five years, 10% survive 10 years and 5% live 20 years or longer.

It cost an average of $200,000 per year to have ALS because of the constant need for new assistive equipment. To get a better understanding of this disease, visit www.als.org

ALS is is truly terrible disease and it’s happening to one of my closest friends. The idea behind “Shop For A Cure” is to turn some of the sadness we’re feeling into a day of fun, and hopefully make some money too! Our mission is to support and empower Anne Gray and the ALS community statewide. This fundraiser will give all attendees the opportunity to support this cause and make a substantial difference in the world through the purchase of vendor offerings, donations, and ticket sales for the raffle and ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

100% of the proceeds from this event will go to Anne who is generously going to then give a portion to ALS United!

ALS United of North Carolina is an incredible organization that helps the over 1000 families in NC who struggle with this disease. The money donated to ALS United is used for a wide variety of care services, advocacy, and for funding innovative research. They will also have an educational booth at the event. Visit www.alsnc.org for more info!