Putting the spotlight on ALS

If you follow PatientsLikeMe on Twitter or Facebook, you might be wondering why our staff decided to dump ice water all over their heads this past week. Well, here’s what’s up: it all about raising awareness for ALS.

It began in 2012, when local Boston College alumnus Pete Frates was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the young age of 27. ALS is a motor neuron disease that affects the nerves that control voluntary movement. As the condition progresses, patients are eventually unable to walk, talk, eat or communicate on their own.

We’re all too familiar with ALS at PatientsLikeMe – in 1998, Stephen Heywood, the brother of our founders Ben and Jamie, was diagnosed with the neurological condition, and his journey sparked the journey that became PatientsLikeMe.

Ever since his diagnosis, Pete’s been working to raise awareness about ALS, and when his friend Pat nominated him for the ice bucket challenge, he posted a video encouraging others to “Strike Out ALS.” So in Stephen, Pete and everyone with ALS’s honor, we decided to accept the ice bucket challenge.

 

We also challenged a few of our friends:

Global Genes:

Susannah Fox:

http://instagram.com/p/rXuZaQqcqC/

 

Even Stickman made an appearance to help out our friends Jeff Dwyer and Adam Darowski:

 

Of course, it’s not just about pouring water over our heads – it’s about donating to ALS research and educating everyone about what it’s like to live with ALS. The only question is…do you accept the challenge?

Share this post on twitter and help spread the word for ALS awareness. And don’t forget to post your own video of the ice bucket challenge!

Please follow and like us:

1 thought on “Putting the spotlight on ALS”

  1. I have to admit that when I first noticed these Ice Bucket Challenge videos on my Facebook feed, my first thought was here’s another viral fad… However, it really is incredible what kind of a difference that this challenge has made this year! There is a staggering difference between how much money has been donated to the ALS Association this year compared to last. In a world where it sometimes seems like we go from one new fad to another, it’s refreshing to think that this viral challenge could actually help save people’s lives down the road.

Comments are closed.

Scroll to Top