ALS also known as Lou Gehrig's
Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. This harmful disease
affects the nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. The nerves that run from
the brain to the spinal cord are most commonly recognized at motor neurons.
With the death of motor neurons, an individual will eventually lose all of their
motor skills and eventually become paralyzed. ALS is the cause of two deaths
per 100,000 people.
Several
individuals are diagnosed with ALS every year. Some celebrities that suffer
from ALS include famous baseball player, Lou Gehring, well known professor,
Stephen Hawking, and Mary Valastro, the mother of Carlos Valastro (The Cake
Boss).
To raise
awareness for this awful disease there was a challenge created that is well
known as the “ice bucket challenge”. This process of the challenge goes as
follows: first you are nominated by someone to do it, after you accept the
challenge a bucket of ice cold water is to be dumped on one’s head, finally the
nomine nominates whoever they want to also take on the challenge. However, if
the challenge is not completed in 24 hours, a one hundred dollar donation is to
be made. The challenge is a chain reaction and has increasingly spread across
the country. Between July 29th and August 11th $1.35
million has been raised nationally for this association. Last year during that
time period the amount of money raised was on $22,000.
With the
spread and popularity of social media being at its peak it is no wonder the
challenge has spread like wild fire. Not only are individuals doing this
challenge across the country but celebrities are also taking part in the
challenge. If the ice bucket challenge is new information to you but you would
like to participate in raising awareness just simply click the links below for
ideas on how to do your own ice bucket challenge! Good luck!!
Lucy Fall, Reporter
Twitter: @lucymariefall
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