If you have a pulse, then you probably know about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge by now. It functions not only as a brief amyotrophic lateral sclerosis simulator, but also as America’s hottest social media craze. What celebrity or other famous person hasn’t done it yet?
In case you haven’t heard of the challenge, it involves pouring a bucket of ice water over your head within 24 hours of being challenged or donating $100 to the ALS Association.
The ALS Association has had a great few weeks because of this, too. Donation totals have topped $32 million, thanks to a number of generous celebrities, people who declined the bucket to donate $100 and those who actually did the bucket and also donated $10.
It’s that last option that’s become a polarizing topic, however. I can’t fathom how this even happened, but it did.
Like a game of telephone, the message has gotten mixed up for a lot of people after making its rounds all over the world.
That’s meant that a lot of people have conveniently forgotten the $10 donation that comes with accepting the bucket challenge. Instead, they simply post their videos to rack up those precious social media “Likes.” I know a few handfuls of people that have done this, and I’m sure that any of you computer-conscious folks knows at least a few, yourself.
“But, it’s raised millions of dollars already,” I’ve heard. “It’s not a big deal. The important thing is raising awareness!”
Yeah, because dumping a bucket of freezing water and ice cubes on your head is going to help find a cure by itself. Sure, whatever.
I’m not skimping around on this one. ALS, which essentially destroys the nerves that control your motor skills, is a terrible disease that can affect anyone. Google a list of famous people who have had it, and you’ll find that a number of them were athletes. The most famous example is baseball legend Lou Gehrig, for whom the disease has been named.
But there’s also ex-New York Yankee Catfish Hunter, who could only watch as the sudden weakness in his vaunted throwing arm spread to the other, rendering his arms immobile shortly before his death in 1999.
And Steve Gleason, the former New Orleans Saint that’s best-known for blocking a punt in the Saints’ first home game since Hurricane Katrina had hit the city. They’ve got a statue of that moment standing outside of the stadium now, which is simply called “Rebirth.” He’s still alive, but needs a motorized wheelchair to get around and a specialized computer to talk.
This can affect anybody at any time — even an athlete in his or her 20s. According to the ALS Association, 90% of adults who contract the disease do so without any traces of the disease present in their family tree. So, whether you’re athletic or not, there’s still a chance that you could contract it. That’s not fun to think about, especially for someone who likes to stay physically active.
In college, I was a member of a fraternity that had a direct partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. We might not have started any nationwide trends, like the Ice Bucket Challenge, but I can proudly say we raised thousands of dollars for MDA’s Fort Myers location while I was around. MD and ALS are not the same disease, but they’re similar in theory, and that’s enough to get me involved with something like this.
Thankfully, the people who challenged me — two good friends of mine from FGCU — didn’t lose sight of the original message and made the donations after the dumps. When I got home from a family cookout on Sunday night, I immediately set up a makeshift camera stand with some cigar boxes and dumped freezing water and ice all over myself. While the video was being formatted, I went ahead and made the donation online.
I encourage all of you to just go ahead and get it over with if you’re challenged, even if you’re scared of a little ice water. If you’re worried about parting with $10, just remember that you can write it off when you’re doing your taxes next year. If money’s not a problem, great! Just remember that you won’t really make a difference if you’re not making the donation with it.
So, yeah — I’m nominating you, reader, for the Ice Bucket Challenge.