It's a disease without a known cure and one that costs every person diagnosed with it a minimum of $200,000 annually.

Its medical name is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - ALS, for short. Many call it Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous New York Yankees first baseman who died of ALS at the age of 37.

On Saturday, the annual Walk to Defeat ALS will be held at Riverstone Park near the water fountain. Signup is at 9 a.m. and the 2.5-mile walk will begin at 10. Online registration is available at ALSA-EC.org.

Sponsored by the Evergreen Chapter of the ALS Association, the goal of this year's walk is to raise $63,900. So far, contributions have reached $29,522.

Jennifer Hanson, development director of the Evergreen Chapter, which serves North Idaho, said, "There's no charge to sign up. It's all by donations - whether it's a dollar or more, it will all help support our local patients and families. Walk with us to support us.

"We need all the voices we can get. There are so many families in this area that have been impacted."

Money raised by the walk will go primarily to support local ALS services, she said, with a lesser amount being donated to national research efforts.

Hanson said that local services, which are free to patients and their families, include home health visits, use of expensive medical equipment and access to educational resources to help families understand the different stages of ALS and what they can expect from each of them as the disease progresses.

Vern Westgate, 78, has been making the walk for three years. Team Barbara - named after Westgate's wife, who died of ALS several years ago - is comprised of Westgate's family and friends.

"After 55 years and eight months of marriage - and more than two years of full-time caretaking - Barb left me for a far better guy," Westgate said. "Jesus wrapped His arms around her, took her home, and restored her completely.

"ALS is a progressive neuromuscular disease that slowly robs a person's ability to walk, talk, swallow and, finally, to breathe," he said. "Nobody knows the cause yet and there is no cure. Diagnosis can take years. But researchers are getting closer to understanding it."

Information: ALSA-EC.org or (509) 863-4321