ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

I’m sure many of you are aware of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It’s been buzzing around social media for the past few weeks and it’s stirred up a lot of controversy. Let me explain what this challenge is for those of you that haven’t heard of this. Basically, someone nominates/challenges you to do one of two things. The first option: Within 24 hours of being nominated, you must fill a bucket with ice and water and dump it on your head while being filmed. If you miss the 24 hour deadline or decide not to do this, the second option is: donate $100 to the ALS Foundation. Once you decide which option better suits you, you then nominate three or more people to either dump ice water on their head or donate to the cause.

 

Now let me ask you this: how many of you actually know what Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is? I bet a good portion of you just realized that you don’t really know the answer. ALS is a lethal neurodegenerative disorder and is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The ability for the brain to control muscle movement is lost when motor neurons die. As more and more muscles are affected, patients may become paralyzed. Some symptoms of ALS include: muscle atrophy, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, and difficulty breathing. Sensory nerves, along with the autonomic nervous system, are usually unaffected by this deadly disease. Therefore, the majority of ALS patients can still hear, see, touch, taste and smell. Sadly, a lot of ALS patients die within three to five years of the onset of their symptoms and they usually die of pneumonia or failure of the respiratory system.

 

Since the Ice Bucket Challenge debuted, it has raised upwards of $41 million—which I think is amazing! Although this is raising awareness and money for the ALS Foundation, there are also other causes that could benefit from awareness and donations. I strongly encourage everyone to look into different foundations and find one that means something to YOU. If you can afford to donate, then great, but if you can’t maybe try to raise awareness for the cause and/or ask some friends and family members to make a donation on your behalf.

 

Here are some foundations and causes that you might consider:

 

End the Backlog

http://www.endthebacklog.org/

 

Dysautonomia Youth Network of America

http://www.dynainc.org/

 

American Mental Health Foundation

http://americanmentalhealthfoundation.org/

 

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation

http://www.pedaids.org/

 

Humane Society of America

http://www.humanesociety.org/

 

American Cancer Society

http://www.cancer.org/

 

 

To learn more about ALS or to donate to the ALS Foundation, please visit: http://www.alsa.org/