ALS Ice Bucket Challenge craze

Times Reporter   

 

The Ice Bucket Challenge is a craze that’s been sweeping the nation raising funds and awareness for ALS. The challenge requires you fill a bucket with ice and water, make a video of yourself dumping the bucket over your head, and nominate three other people to take part. Those nominated have 24 hours to accept or deny the challenge. If they can’t take part they are to donate $10, and those who won’t take the challenge are requested to donate $100 to ALS. 

The challenge has made its way to Strathmore, and on Aug. 18 Strathmore town Councillor’s Bob Sobol and Pat Fule took part, as did our own Strathmore Times reporter Justin Seward.

“I have somebody that’s a friend of mine that’s got a form of ALS and it really is a debilitating disease. It’s your voice that goes, your speech, your motor control, your ability to walk; it’s just so tragic. It’s just something to raise a little awareness and a little money,” said Sobol

“If dumping a bucket of cold water on you raises awareness that’s great. A lot of people don’t understand that the lifespan is so short for people with ALS and how terrible it is.”

Sobol nominated Staff Sgt. Kevin Reilly, his brother Joe Sobol, and Councillor Denise Peterson to take the challenge. He had also set a personal goal of raising $500, and was half way there as of Aug. 18. 

Fule’s nominations for the challenge were Colin Huxted, Bas Owel and Dale Smith. 

“It’s just an amazing cause. It’s just amazing how fast it has gone viral, I’ve known a few people who have succumbed to ALS and it’s just a horrible disease,” said Fule.

“I’m thinking of Kyle Ruppe, he’s been incredibly brave. For people like that if we can generate more money and awareness and find a way to stop this terrible disease it’s just great, anything I can do to help raise money and awareness is important, and I hate water.”

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The disease commonly affects people between the ages of 40 and 60. 

It is a progressive and fatal disease. Eventually the body succumbs to paralysis and the respiratory system becomes compromised, which leads to most affected patients dying of respiratory failure and pneumonia after a few years. 

Pete Frates, baseball team captain for Boston College, started the now viral trend. In 2012, at 27-years-old, he was given the official news that he had ALS. It was this past July that one of Frates’ friends introduced him to the Ice Bucket Challenge that was to originally raise awareness for the charity of peoples choice. He asked his friends to take part for him and to do the challenge for his charity and his cause, ALS. Suddenly athletes all over Boston were doing it, and then it went viral and everyone seems to be getting in on the action. On Aug. 14 Frates finally personally took part in the challenge at Fenway Park. To find out more about ALS, and about the challenge go to www.als.ca.