For the past few weeks, many people have seen celebrities, their friends and organizations around Valdosta’s campus post videos of themselves being drenched in ice cold water. After you watch the video, you look through the comments section to see who was nominated next for what is known as the “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.” However, many people that I have come in contact with weren’t too familiar with where the challenge originated or what ALS was.
For starters, ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that ultimately affects a person’s nerve cells in their spinal cord and brain. The brain controls the motor neurons that are connected to the spinal cord, which send signals to our muscles. Because the disease degenerates these cells, a person with the disease will no longer have control of their muscle actions, eventually leaving them paralyzed.
When it comes to ALS, the degenerative process in a nutshell goes as such: the muscles aren’t getting the nourishment they need, causing them to deteriorate. Once these neurons deteriorate they can no longer send signals to the brain for muscle stimulation, thus causing one to lose muscle control in their arms and legs, speech, swallowing and breathing, resulting in death. There is no current cure for the often fatal disease, but there are medicines that can slow down the process.
I read many articles and Google searches on just how the ice bucket challenge originated, but there was no clear answer. Some sources say the idea stemmed from the “Polar Bear Plunge,” where people would submerge themselves in ice cold water for a 24 hour period, dating back to 1904. Other sources would like to give pro athlete Pete Frates credit for starting the challenge after being diagnosed with ALS in 2011. After challenging other professional athletes to the challenge and to donate money, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went viral and, in just under a month, has managed to generate over $60 million in donations.
No matter how the challenge started or where credit is due, the creative and catchy challenge has sparked interest in the masses and can potentially help find a cure in the future. If you’re interested in finding out more information about ALS or want to make a donation, please visit the ALS association’s website.