A short time ago, Jason Richards called me out to accept the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I did and made a video.
The Ice Bucket Challenge has become a global phenomenon. You’ve no doubt seen hundreds of videos on Facebook and Twitter of people dousing themselves in chilly water. Celebrities including Martha Stewart, Steven Spielberg, Kobe Bryant and Justin Timberlake have taken part. My favorite is President George W. Bush.
Since the challenge has gone viral, a number of variations have popped up. But it typically goes something like this: If someone challenges you, you have 24 hours to donate $100 to the ALS Association or make a video of ice water being poured over your head and post it on social media. Many people do both, and some contribute much more. Participants are encouraged to pass the challenge on to others via social media.
According to the ALS Association, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised more than $41.8 million as of Thursday, Aug. 21. The money is used to provide assistance to patients who have been diagnosed with ALS as well as to fund research for new ways to treat and ultimately cure the degenerative disease.
However, some anti-abortion organizations warn that ALS Association donates money to at least one organization (NEALS) that sponsors clinics that has used aborted fetuses in their research. No one is ever certain where every penny of their charity dollars go, but Team Gleason, founded by NFL player Steve Gleason, may be a better pro-life organization to send your donations. I did.
ALS, which stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is also commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a neurological disorder in which the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movement gradually deteriorate. It is eventually fatal, and there is no cure.
30,000 Americans have ALS. It commonly strikes people between the ages of 40 & 70. There is no cure for ALS. Lou Gehrig died in 1941 at age 37, just 2 years after he was diagnosed with ALS and retired from baseball.
One of my favorite missionaries, Carlos Demarest, suffered and died from ALS several years ago. A parent of one of my students in church, Dan Stedman, had ALS and became a Christian during that time.
8 facts you may not know about ALS:
- Every 90 minutes someone in the US is diagnosed with ALS
- It’s not necessarily an inherited disease. 90% of patients have no known family history of the disease.
- Symptoms aren’t sudden. Early signs include cramps, stiff muscles, twitches, or difficulty chewing or swallowing. Eventually patients cannot swallow or breath.
- It’s more common in men and white people. It’s about 20% more common in men than in women and 93% of patients are Caucasian.
- While the reason is unknown, military vets are twice as likely to develop ALS.
- ALS is NOT just an old person’s disease, many people in their 20s and 30s are diagnosed. In fact, Pete Frates, who started the Ice Bucket Challenge, was diagnosed with ALS in 2012 at the age of 27.
- There are more than 150 potential treatments being looked at for ALS in the US today.
- People with the disease may be living longer. Most people live for 2-5 years after symptoms develop. Most die from respiratory failure. However, a new drug called Riluzole helps prolong life by 7 months.
Ed Dobson, pastor emeritus of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan was diagnosed with ALS. He said, “Honestly, I would still rather be healthy and not go through this suffering. I would exchange all the life lessons and opportunities to be healthy again. But … my ALS has been used by God to accomplish wonderful things for the kingdom, where even the worst suffering opened the doors to a new heavens and earth.”