ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Takes the Nation by a Landslide
While there are always passing trends on social media such as Facebook and Instagram, most of them don’t have a real purpose or goal. Social media’s latest trend is the ALS Ice Bucket challenge. The goal is to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a disease that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, and eventually weakens muscles to a point where the diseased person is not able to move on their own accord.
In the Ice Bucket Challenge a person is “nominated” to dump a bucket of ice water on their head, and then they can nominate their friends to do the same. If the nominated person fails to complete the challenge in 24 hours (or even if they do), he or she is encouraged to donate to the ALS Association in order to raise money for research for a cure. However, although the goal of this challenge is to raise awareness about this incurable disease, it would appear that some are doing it with no awareness of the cause.
“I had to do some research [on ALS] but I think I could explain it to someone now,” sophomore Nakiri Gallagher-Cave said. Gallagher-Cave also said that before she researched ALS, she may have been able to say a sentence or two on the subject, but wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone much about the disease.
Although maybe many people are not too knowledgeable about ALS, the Ice Bucket Challenge has certainly become huge on social media. This challenge has not only taken over the state or the country; it has become a fairly worldwide phenomenon. People from all over the world – so far the countries I have seen are Brazil, Bermuda, Columbia, France and Spain – are participating in raising awareness through the Ice
Bucket Challenge. It is also not just something teens are participating in. When talking to my grandmother on the phone the other day, she mentioned that someone who she plays Mah-Jong with had nominated her. Celebrities have also taken their turns – Ty Burrell, Mary Murphy, and Bill Gates are just a few who have participated.
Through donations, the ALS Association has raised 79.2 million dollars and counting. Not only does this challenge raise awareness, but also each dollar donated brings us one step closer for being able to find a cure. In the past, ALS has been a disease that has been overshadowed by cancer and heart disease, at least in the fundraising department, but with the ice bucket challenge, that is changing fast.
A few months ago, had I been asked what ALS was, I would’ve known that I had heard of it, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone a single thing about it. The bucket challenge has the affect on me that was hoped for by the ALS Association; I now know what the disease is, and am aware of the effect it has on thousands of people today. So when nominated, I challenge you to actually think of why you are pouring ice water over your head, and have awareness for ALS.
If you would like to donate to the ALS Association, here is the link: https://secure2.convio.net/alsa/site/Donation2;jsessionid=8C1C08A86BEFDB149291C56D7BD14614.app212b?df_id=27420&27420.donation=form1
Video Links:
http://qpolitical.com/ice-bucket-challenge-end-like-rest-gotta-see/
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=275676749289835&set=vb.100005425364666&type=2&theater
https://www.facebook.com/SoYouThinkYouCanDance
Olivia Oksenhorn is a senior at Aspen High School and Co Editor-in-Chief for the Aspen Skier Scribbler. This is Olivia's fourth year writing for the newspaper,...
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