The sales for bags of ice, coolers and water must be through the roof by now.
In case you have been in a bubble for the past few weeks, the Ice Bucket Challenge in support of ALS has taken North America by storm.
Created and inspired by Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who is living with this horrible disease, the challenge is pretty simple — fill a bucket with cold water and ice and either dump it on yourself or get a lucky friend to do the honour. You then pass along the challenge to more family, friends and/or co-workers.
The challenge has created a fire storm on social media, Facebook especially, where athletes, movie stars, television icons, musicians and political leaders have all been challenged and are challenging others while raising money and bringing the spotlight to a disease that not too many people know much about.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative condition. People living with the disease become progressively paralyzed due to degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Eighty per cent of people with ALS die within two to five years of diagnosis — unable to breathe or swallow. Ten per cent of those affected may live for 10 years or longer.
Other neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. According to the World Health Organization, neurodegenerative diseases are predicted to surpass cancer as the second leading cause of death in Canada by 2040.
ALS has no known cure or effective treatment yet. For every person diagnosed with ALS, a person living with ALS dies. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Canadians currently live with this fatal disease.
I have never known anyone personally with the disease, but I certainly know who Lou Gehrig was. He’s one of the greatest baseball players to have ever played the game, and he just so happens to have donned the pinstripes with my mighty New York Yankees. His career and his life were cut short when he died in 1941 at the age of 38 from a disease that no one knew anything about back then. That has certainly changed today, but there is still more work to be done to wipe out this disease.
Some have spoken out against the challenge, but I’m not one of those people. I think it is a fantastic way to bring a spotlight on an issue, raise money for a tremendous cause and have a lot of fun while doing it.
I was challenged by a few friends and answered that challenge this week while also making a $25 donation to ALS Canada. I challenge you all to make a donation and take the plunge, so to speak, if you wish.
As of Wednesday, more than $8.1 million had been raised for ALS in Canada, which is simply fantastic.
Find out more about ALS at www.als.ca and see my video on our website at www.coastreporter.net
