In all three of these sewer blowback cases, the homes were below the grade of the road or downstream from the main sewer line itself.

How sewage floods at home turned into nightmares for Raleigh families

Sewage floods inside Raleigh homes

North Carolina is a hotbed for hurricanes. Here are the best tips and facts for hurricane season in NC.

Hurricane season begins June 1. Here's what every North Carolina resident needs to know

Hurricane Season in NC

All assets associated with the tag: chronic illness

Chronic illness Coverage

Around 59% of caregivers for Alzheimer's patients in North Carolina reported having at least one chronic condition, compared to caregivers for non-dementia patients.

Caregivers report higher rates of chronic conditions after caring for someone with Alzheimer's

Bruce & Betty

More people are dying in North Carolina at younger ages, according to the latest America's Health Ranking report. Cancer and heart disease were the two leading causes of premature deaths.

Premature deaths in NC rise by 11% with sedentary, screen-driven lifestyle linked to chronic illness & premature death

 Volunteers try to keep stories behind Oberlin Cemetery alive

New cases of chronic pain occur more often in the United States than those of other chronic conditions, like diabetes, depression and high blood pressure, according to a study from the National Institutes of Health. The findings offer a large-scale confirmation of what previous research has shown: Chronic pain is staggeringly common in America.

New cases of chronic pain outnumber those of diabetes or depression, study shows

Study: 20 percent of adults experience chronic pain

Nikki Schultek and others hope to improve treatment for a variety of infections including Asthma, Alzheimer's and HIV.

HER MISSION BEGIN WITH THEIR OWN ILLNESS. AFTER COLLEGE NIKKI SHOW TAKE PURSUED A CAREER IN DRUG DEVELOPMENT. >> SHE WORKED FOR MAJOR COMPANIES LIKE PFIZER ENGINE INTACT. THEN NEARLY 8 YEARS AGO, SHE BECAME THE PATIENT AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY HUSBAND JUST GOT OUT OF CONTROL. >> TO WHERE I COULDN'T BREATHE OR SLEEP AT NIGHT, HIGH-DOSE STEROIDS DIDN'T HELP. THEN SHE DEVELOPED A CHRONIC BLATTER DISORDER. MY DOCTORS STARTED TO THINK THAT I MIGHT HAVE MS. THAT'S MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE. BUT DOCTORS COULDN'T CONFIRM IT. SO TAKE DECIDED TO DO THE RESEARCH YOURSELF. MY WORK IN PHARMACEUTICALS AND BIOTECH, REALLY ENABLED ME TO UNDERSTAND MEDICAL RESEARCH. AND I FOUND A STUDY THAT REALLY CHANGED REST OF MY LIFE. THE STUDY WAS LED BY THE LATE DOCTOR, CHARLES STRATTON MICROBIOLOGIST AT VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY. HE LINKED A COMMON RESPIRATORY BACTERIUM TO CHRONIC INFECTIONS, WHICH MAY BE TREATABLE. THAT'S WINCHELL. TECH RECRUITED SPECIALIST FROM THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCHER DOCTOR BRIAN BALLON TO FORM INTEREST CELL RESEARCH GROUP. >> SHE WANTED TO TO DEVELOP A TEAM EFFORT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE STUDYING THIS PROBLEM AND NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DISEASES. THE CONSORTIUM IS CHALLENGED BY THE LACK OF RECOGNITION IN THE SCIENTIFIC GRILL. AND WITHOUT THAT WIDESPREAD ACCEPTANCE THE MESSAGE DOES NOT GET ACROSS 2 THE CLINICIANS TO OTHER RESEARCHERS TO THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL CHILL TAKE SAYS SHE WAS ONE OF THE MANY LEFT WONDERING AROUND THE MEDICAL SYSTEM DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS. >> WHEN YOU'RE IN PAIN OR YOU CAN'T BREEZE. OR YOU'RE FEARING THAT YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, GOING TO LOSE THE ABILITY TO MOVE YOUR HANDS BECAUSE YOU'RE EXPERIENCING NEURODEGENERATIVE SYMPTOMS. YOU KNOW, IT REALLY

Wake Forest woman's work helping improve treatment for infectous diseases

A Wake Forest mother and clinical specialist now leads an effort to better identify infectious diseases. She and a consortium of experts hope to improve treatment for variety of infections including Asthma, Alzheimer's and HIV.

Wake Forest woman leads group of specialists fighting for ways to identify, treat infectious diseases

Among the many confounding aspects of the coronavirus is the spectrum of possible symptoms, as well as their severity and duration. Some people develop mild illness and recover quickly, with no lasting effects. But studies estimate that 10% to 30% of people report persistent or new medical issues months after their initial coronavirus infections — a constellation of symptoms known as long COVID.

What We Know About Long COVID So Far

RESTRICTED -- What We Know About Long COVID So Far

Sandra Dubose, a Wake Forest woman who also has alopecia, watched the entire scene play out on her TV. She shares how she feels about Chris Rock's joke, and Will Smith's reaction.

NEWS AVAILABLE ON SPECTRUM AND THE WRAL APP ON YOUR TV OR STREAMING DEVICE. >> COULD WILL SMITH'S OSCAR BE TAKEN AWAY? THAT'S THE QUESTION ON MANY PEOPLE'S MINDS TONIGHT AFTER HE SLAPPED CHRIS ROCK AT THE OSCARS LAST NIGHT. THE ANSWER IS POSSIBLY IN THE LAST FEW HOURS, THE ACADEMY CONDEMN SMITH'S MOVE SAYING IT'S EXPLORING FURTHER CONSEQUENCES. THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES HAS REVOKED NOMINATIONS AND EVEN EXPELLED MEMBERS IN THE PAST IN 2014, BRUCE BROUGHTON LOST HIS OSCAR AFTER THE ACADEMY DETERMINED HE IMPROPERLY CAMPAIGN FOR THE HONOR. THEN HARVEY WEINSTEIN WAS EXPELLED FROM THE ACADEMY AFTER ALLEGATIONS SURFACED OF YEARS OF HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT. NOW THE SLAP CREATED A MOMENT OF HIGH DRAMA AT THE OSCARS. BUT THE STORY GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN ITS SHOCK VALUE. YOU MANY PEOPLE SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE DISEASE THAT WILL SMITH'S WIFE IS DEALING WITH A DISEASE THAT CAUSES HAIR LOSS. WRAL'S BRYAN MIMS SPOKE WITH A WOMAN IN OUR AREA WHO SAYS WILL SMITH'S ACTIONS ARE LAMENTABLE BUT UNDERSTANDABLE. >> G I, JANE TO CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT. ALL RIGHT. >> JOE DID GET SOME LAUGHS, BUT IT'S CRINGE. WORTHINESS WAS SO PLAINLY TELEGRAPHED ON JADA PINKETT SMITH'S FACE WAS A NICE WHITE. OKAY. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT WILL GO DOWN AN OSCAR IN FRONT. WATCHING ON TV FROM HER HOME IN WAKE FOREST WITH SANDRA DUBOSE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. I WAS IN COMPLETE SHOCK. SHE LIKE WILL SMITH'S WIFE LIVES WITH ALA P SHIA, A DISEASE IN WHICH THE IMMUNE SYSTEM ATTACKS HAIR FOLLICLES AND CAUSES HAIR LOSS. SHE LIKE WILL SMITH'S WIFE HAS SPURNED WIGS AND EMBRACED THE BALD LOOK WHEN STANDARD A BOSE WAS DIAGNOSED MORE THAN 2 DECADES AGO, SHE SANK INTO DEPRESSION, LOSING YOUR SELF ESTEEM, NOT FEELING BEAUTIFUL. >> HOW MUCH WORK IT TAKES TO FEEL CONFIDENT INTO ESPECIALLY IN HOLLYWOOD. ON THAT SCORE. SHE SAYS CHRIS ROCK'S JOKE WAS MEAN AND DECIDEDLY NOT FUNNY, BUT TO THE ACT THAT FOLLOWED CHIVALROUS ARE CHILDISH. FIRST OF ALL WAS DISCUSSING THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE ON EVERY LEVEL. WE DON'T DO THAT. WE'RE GROUND HERE. THE USE YOUR WORDS, THE SLAP INITIALLY LEFT US ALL DAZED FORWARDS. THEN THE WORDS CAME. CONSIDER THOSE OF CRAIG MELVIN ON THE TODAY SHOW. HE SPENT SO MUCH TIME TALKING TO KIDS ABOUT KEEPING YOUR HANDS TO SHARE, HOWEVER, AND THIS STORY IS RIFE WITH HOW EVERS SANDRA DUBOSE SAYS WILL SMITH OUTBURST HAS A SYMPATHETIC QUALITY AS A WOMAN. >> AND IF THAT WAS MY MAN. IT IS. SO IF THIS FEELING OF YOU DEFENDED ME WHO DOESN'T WANT TO BE DEFENDED ANYONE WHO'S GOING THROUGH SOMETHING, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU LOVE, IT HURTS, THOUGH SHE HOPES OF NOTHING ELSE. THIS OSCAR MOMENT WILL SHINE A SPOTLIGHT. >> ON THE STRUGGLES OF ALA P SHOW DOING THE BALL THING AND HAVING THIS CONDITION. IT'S NOT EASY IN ONLY THE PEOPLE IN YOUR INNER CIRCLE. THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES WHO REALLY KNOW HOW YOU'RE DOING AND HOW THEY'RE DOING MAY

Locals with alopecia speak out about Chris Rock joke, Will Smith slap

Locals with alopecia speak out about Chris Rock joke

Social media lit up with people sharing their opinions about Smith's actions, and some people see the incident as a small part of a much larger issue - about the need for education and sensitivity for people like Jada Pinkett Smith who have auto-immune disorders like alopecia.

'They don't see the tears:' Mom of child with alopecia says Will Smith's raw emotion understandable 

At 14 years old, Ella Wilson, our Teen Miss Dance of NC, has been dancing for over a decade -- even through health challenges like diabetes and alopecia. She's raising money to attend nationals. 

When Fred Schwartz was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994, the financial challenges that lay ahead were not top of mind.