# Man Who Inspired Ice Bucket Challenge Dies At 34



## Laela (Dec 11, 2019)

*Man Who Inspired Ice Bucket Challenge Dies*
Dec. 10, 2019 -- The man who inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge that raised awareness about the neurodegenerative disease ALS has died.

Peter Frates was 34. His death was confirmed by his family on Monday, NBC News reported.

Frates was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. He helped create the Ice Bucket Challenge, a social media sensation in which people shared videos of themselves being drenched by buckets of ice water and asking for donations to the ALS Association.

The association says the challenge raised more than $200 million worldwide, NBC News reported.

Frates, a former Boston College basketball player, never complained about his ALS and instead viewed it as an opportunity, according to his family.

"A natural born leader and the ultimate teammate, Pete was a role model for all, especially young athletes, who looked up to him for his bravery and unwavering positive spirit in the face of adversity," his family said in a statement. "He was a noble fighter who inspired us all to use our talents and strengths in the service of others."


More than 17 million people participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge, resulting in 2.5 million donors to ALS causes, Brian Frederick, vice president of communications for the ALS Association, told NBC News.

WebMD News from HealthDay






Pete Frates and his wife, Julie, at a Boston Red Sox game in 2015. He helped raise more than 
$100 million toward fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease he learned he had in 2012.
Credit: Elise Amendola/Associated Press


----------



## Everything Zen (Dec 12, 2019)

May he Rest In Peace. That awareness was huge.
ALS is worse than cancer imo bc there are far less treatments. I know 3 people (all African Americans) all who grew up in Northwest Indiana  who were friends/associates of my mom in some kind of way who died of ALS. I don’t see ALS as being a white man’s disease- I just think that (once again) black folks are underrepresented in the research.


----------



## dancinstallion (Dec 12, 2019)

Everything Zen said:


> May he Rest In Peace. That awareness was huge.
> ALS is worse than cancer imo bc there are far less treatments. I know 3 people (all African Americans) all who grew up in Northwest Indiana  who were friends/associates of my mom in some kind of way who died of ALS. I don’t see ALS as being a white man’s disease- I just think that (once again) black folks are underrepresented in the research.



Yes I had a patient who was Nigerian and a nurse, that died from Als last year. He was so experienced as a nurse that he was trying to tell the nurses how to take care of him but he could barely talk. He had been a nurse for 20 years in the states. He had Als for 8 years and I think he was only 41.


----------

