You might have heard a rumor recently or even read news reports online that the man behind the Ice Bucket challenge phenomenon has died. Well, the good news is that 32-year-old Pete Frates is still alive. The bad news is that he needs your help.
Frates was the captain of the baseball team at Boston College and a perfectly healthy young man until 2011, when he was hit on the wrist by a pitch. His hand became limp, and never recovered. Doctors originally thought he had a pinched nerve, but realized it was actually a symptom of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also called ALS or Lou Gherig's disease after the famous New York Yankees player).
But Frates didn't let his condition stop him from applying the same can-do spirit he showed on the baseball diamond to his treatment, or from fundraising for other patients. His mother Nancy says Pete saw his diagnosis as an "opportunity to change the world."
"He said we're not going to ask why, we're going to get to work."
And he did: Frates' signature fundraiser, the Ice Bucket Challenge, encouraged people to dunk a bucket of cold water over themselves or donate to an ALS research foundation.
The challenge has become a yearly tradition, and the $220 million raised worldwide has funded groundbreaking research that makes it possible to diagnose ALS patients sooner. Despite all the good he's done for other patients, Frates still needs some help himself.
Click to the next page to learn how Frates is doing today!
Over the years, ALS has slowly destroyed Frates' body. Today he's totally paralyzed except for a few parts of his face, and he relies on machines to eat and breathe. His parents have both had to leave their jobs to support him.
To survive, Frates needs around-the-clock care from live-in nurse. That costs more than $100 an hour, or as much as $1 million per year.
Now Frates has started a new fundraiser - but it's not just to support himself. The Pete Frates Home Health Initiative covers the costs of home care for patients like Frates that are in the later stages of ALS, so they can stay close to their loved ones.
Frates has been in and out of the hospital lately with health complications, but despite the rumors he's still alive and hopes to stay with his family as long as he can.
You can support the Pete Frates Home Health Initiative here, or donate directly to Pete and his family here.
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