Aaron Lazar received his very first Grammy nomination on Friday, November 8, almost three years after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The 48-year-old actor, known for his roles on stage and screen, including musicals like The light on the square And Les Miserablesas well as Everything everywhere at the same time – went public with the news that he suffered from a progressive neurogenerative disorder in January, gaining a groundswell of support from the Broadway community and propelling Lazar into the spotlight as he swore not to fight the diseasebut rather to realize his impossible dream of curing it.

A few months later, in August, Lazar released his first albumwell titled Impossible dream. For this milestone, Lazar collaborated with a collection of decorated megastars from the music, film, television and theater industries, including Josh Groban, Neil Patrick Harris, Leslie Odom Jr., Kelli O’Hara, Kate Baldwin, Norm Lewis And Loren Allred.

There was also a special duet with late Rebecca Lukerdied at the age of 59 in 2020, just 10 months after being diagnosed with ALS.

For the LP’s grand finale, Lazar brought together nearly 80 of Broadway’s top performers, including Kristin Chenoweth, Lin Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Brian Stokes Mitchell, Adrienne Warren, Shoshana bean, Liz Callaway, Joanna Gleason, Brian d’Arcy James, Tony Yazbeck, Christy Altomare, Adam Jacobs, Max von Essen, Betsy Wolfe, Christiane Noll And Marc Kudisch — for a powerful rendition of “The Impossible Dream,” the song by THE Man of La Mancha it became Lazar’s personal anthem.

A portion of the album’s profits will benefit the SLA networkwhich provides comprehensive, integrated, multidisciplinary community care at no cost to the ALS community. This past January, the organization presented Lazar with the Essey Spotlight Award for his commitment to raising awareness of ALS worldwide.

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Now Lazar is in the running for another award, Impossible dream earning a nomination in the Best Traditional Pop Album category. It will rival that of Cyrille Aimée Skin-deepSarah Jones Visions, Diving into the lake street Good together And at Grégory Porter Christmas wish.

“We all have within us the power to make the impossible possible,” Lazar wrote in an Instagram post celebrating the news, while expressing gratitude to everyone from artists to producers to arrangers and “stellar” recording team. “Thank you EVERYONE for helping me share some healing with the world through this music.”

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a brutal illness that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to a loss of muscle control that often leaves patients unable to move, speak, swallow and, possibly, even breathe. Affecting an average of 5,000 new patients per year in the United States, according to the ALS AssociationThere is no known cure with a life expectancy of between three and five years from the time of diagnosis for someone with ALS.

Lazar learned he had a slow version of ALS in January 2022, six months after you started experiencing symptoms. But faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges, the father of two – who shares sons Julian, 14, and Adrian, 12with his ex-wife LeAnn — adopted an attitude of unwavering optimism.

He told PEOPLE in April that he chose “not to live in fear.” Instead, he focuses on his emotional, spiritual – and yes, physical – healing through a “very conscious and very disciplined” exploration of holistic health through diet, exercise, meditation and a practice spiritual based on gratitude.

“Make no mistake, I’m passionately fighting for my life, but I’m not fighting the disease,” Lazar said in an interview from Los Angeles where he lives with his fiancée. Nawal Bengholam. “I’ve learned to surrender to ALS in a way that allows me to appreciate the moments between the ups and downs of life. Because I don’t want to miss them.”

Recording an album was not initially planned by Lazar, but it came to pass shortly after PEOPLE helped share her story in early February. “I’ve never made an album myself, but I just had the idea to do something with inspirational songs full of love, hope and healing,” Lazar said. “And we started to imagine what it could be.”

Jonathan Estabrooks and Lazar co-produced the album alongside Grammy winner Kitt Wakeley, who also arranged the LP. It is developed by Emitha Studios (Emitha LLC) and Studio 7 Media.

Getting the stars to join wasn’t difficult for Lazar. “I just started making calls and within two weeks…all these amazing people joined us,” Lazar said. “Everyone just said yes.”

“I am very grateful to everyone for everything they have done to support me,” he added. “They made my impossible dream come true.”

Impossible dream is available now.