Wednesday (December 9) marks the one year anniversary of the death of a local Massachusetts hero who helped spread global awareness for the disease that eventually claimed his life.
Pete Frates, 34, died after a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, on December 9, 2019. The former Boston College baseball captain was diagnosed with ALS in 2012 and spent the rest of his life working toward raising money and awareness toward combatting the incurable, which weakens muscles and impairs physical functioning.
Frates teamed with Pat Quinn, who also died after a long battle with ALS last month, and teams of supporters to help popularize the ALS ice bucket challenge that raised more than $200 million globally for Lou Gehrig's disease research.
Quinn first saw the ice bucket challenge on social media when pro golfer Chris Kennedy challenged his wife's cousin Jeanette Senerchia, whose husband had ALS, to take a bucket of ice water, dump it on her head and post the video on social media while daring others to do the same or make a donation to charity.
The Ice Bucket Challenge went on to raise $115 million for the ALS Association and more than $220 for ALS research, which lead to new research discoveries, expanded care for people battling Lou Gehrig's disease and provided a significant investment from the government in ALS research, according to ALS.org.
Donations can be made in Frates' memory to the Peter Frates Family Foundation online at petefrates.com/donate or by mail to 21 Landers Drive, Beverly, Massachusetts, 01915.
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