What is The Ice Bucket Challenge?

If you have a Facebook profile then more than likely you've seen a video of one of your friends dumping a bucket filled with ice water over their head. You might have seen your favorite athletes and performers get in on the action as well. If you're like me, curiousity probably go the best of you and you had to check out what the Ice Bucket Challenge was really all about, then come to find out it's much more than just dumping water over your head.

I was nominated this past weekend to do the Ice Bucket Challenge and I followed through with it, but I needed to know what I was doing it for. My challenger posted a link to the following story that gives you a little background on who is behind the movement : From Baseball Star to Battling ALS.

Pete Frates was an all-star. He was the Captain of the Boston College Baseball team and was working his way up to the big leagues. After coming back from playing ball in Germany, Frates started noticing his reaction time slowing down. The fast ball was his pitch and he just couldn't connect, he was also extremely tired all of a sudden having to actually pull over to the side of the road while driving for a nap. After some research, he was dealt the devastating news , he was suffering from ALS. ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord which controls most of your muscle movements. Now, Pete is confined to a wheelchair and cannot speak. He relies on an eye movement recognition software to convey his messages.

The Ice Bucket Challenge was started by Frates and his family members on Twitter to raise awareness for ALS. The Challenge has now taken a life of its own on Social Media. Participants are challenging their friends and giving them 24 hours to do so, or they must donate to an ALS organization. Some are a little more proactive about the cause and including articles and facts about the disease. Of course there are some nay sayers, but in the end they are all talking about it and being exposed to how ALS is effecting not just Pete Frates, but people all over the world.

You can read more about the Ice Bucket Challenge and learn more about ALS here : http://www.alsa.org/