Kelowna’s Sails, hospital lit up in purple for ALS Awareness Month

One of the Okanagan’s best-known landmarks is being lit up in purple.

The province has declared June as ALS Awareness Month, and the Sails in downtown Kelowna, B.C., is being bathed in purple lights to show support.

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a fatal neurological disease that progressively paralyzes people because the brain is no longer able to communicate with the body’s muscles.

ALS Canada says over time, the body’s muscles break down, with the person eventually losing the ability to walk, talk, eat, swallow and, eventually, breathe.

The Sails, along with Kelowna General Hospital, was lit up in purple on Thursday. The two locations will also be lit up in purple on Friday.

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Currently, more than 400 B.C. residents are living with ALS, for which there is no known cure.

More information about ALS, including how to donate, is available on the ALS Canada website.