Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative affliction that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, according to the ALS Association website.
Two years after Boston College baseball star Pete Frates, 27, was diagnosed with ALS, he has fought valiantly to raise awareness and research funds through an Ice Bucket Challenge that has gone viral worldwide. Despite a presently incurable medical condition that has robbed him of voluntary muscle movement and unable to speak, Frates has remained front and center in a fight that affects thousands each year.
Those with ALS live an average of two to five years after diagnosis.
If challenged, participants must have a bucket of ice water dumped on their head within 24 hours or donate $100 or more to ALS research. Friends challenge friends and family members challenge family members to share in the buoyant fun. The ALS Association has collected over $80 million in donations so far this year.
The staff at Mountain Valley Living magazine proudly support ALS research, and invite everybody to an Ice Bucket Challenge to unite together to wipe out this terrible malady.
