SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: When i first heard of the ice bucket challenge I was skeptical of its effects... I didnt understand how dumping ice cold water on your head could help those fighting Lou Gehrigs Disease and, considering many of my friends and classmates had (and still have) no idea of what the disease entails, other than ALS is a crippling disease, I questioned whether they were genuinely passing on awareness for a cause or participating in a wet t-shirt contest. To further my skepticism I didnt understand why donating seemed more like a consequence rather than an obligation or suggestion - how were we going to help the cause if everyone would rather dump water on themselves instead of donating to those suffering? HOWEVER! TO SKEPTICS LIKE ME: Donations have risen well over $160,000 compared to $14,480 during the same period last year. Therefore Keep Calm and Carry On with the water dumpings... TO ALL THOSE WHO BEAUTIFULLY POURED WATER ON THEMSELVES BUT HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ALS IS: this what you need to know... Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also knows as Lou Gehrigs Disease, affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It is a noncontagious disease and can strike anyone. An average of 5,6000 Americans are diagnosed with ALS each year and approximately a total of 30,000 Americans are fighting ALS at any given time. Those with ALS generally live 2-5 years from the time of diagnosis. The disease is essentially the progressive degeneration of the motor neurons. This means that little by little an individual with Lou Gehrigs Disease slowly loses the ability to control and direct voluntary muscle movement. Patients can lose the ability to speak, move - becoming completely paralyzed, swallow, and eventually breath. SO PLEASE THINK of donating even $5-$10 to the charity of your choice regardless to whether or not you posted a video. This is the equivalent of a dunkin or starbucks run and your money can go to research or a better quality of life for someone in pain. No matter how small the donation put together our efforts can bring much needed joy and support to others whether that is the hope of a cure through research, the chance to slow down the disease through a drug, or at the very least the opportunity to cross of a bucket-list item before it is too late... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Therefore, I am so thankful that my family, friends, and I can dump a bucket of water in honor of all those who cant because it is truly a privilege. I want to thank Anna Walsh and Lexi Selldorff for the nomination. And I nominate Shannon Miller Silvia Luque-Blakz Kristen Wall and Ezekiel Menendez. Shoutout to Pete Frates, the man who started it all - THIS IS FOR YOU!
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 03:14:52 +0000