Why I Accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

In college, I was blessed to have an amazing professor who was funny, witty, and cared deeply for his students. My first impression of him was when he asked me to follow him to his office for a voice audition. He said, “Walk this way,” and turned to walk down the hall, dragging one foot.

Yes, he was an interesting character but loved by many, including my husband who also had classes with him.

When our beloved college professor was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” we knew his time on this earth was limited and sadly, he passed a few years ago.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. [SOURCE]

When my brother and his family challenged me to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, I was ready because it seems like such a small way to bring awareness to this terrible disease.

The jist of the challenge is this: You are challenged in a video on social media by someone else who has accepted the #ALSIceBucketChallenge and have 24 hours to either accept the challenge or donate to the ALS Association. In your video, you can pass the challenge to others.

This challenge has been a smashing success and the ALS Association reports they have seen a 1000% increase in donations [SOURCE] as people around the country have accepted the challenge including Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates, Martha Stewart, and other high profile politicians and celebrities.

I am pleased to have been a part of this benefit and passed the challenge on to my husband, The Happy Housewife, Smockity Frocks, and 2:1 Conference.