Everyone has seen videos on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds of people dumping buckets of ice water on their heads. This “ice bucket challenge” was started at the beginning of the summer to raise awareness for a rare nervous system condition. ALS, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a disease of the parts of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. Nerve cells that control muscle movement are gradually lost, causing the muscles to become weak and eventually nonfunctional. Walking, talking, eating, hugging and even breathing become nearly impossible, although the mind stays sharp. Most people with ALS live three to five years after diagnosis.

Since the beginning of the ALS ice bucket challenge celebrities like Britney Spears, James Franco, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, and many more have been participating and tagging others to do the same. North Carolina’s Governor Pat McCrory has even accepted the challenge. Even though the challenge is meant to raise money and awareness for ALS some people are tired of seeing videos of people dumping water on their heads all over their social networking feeds. The challenge has raised $108.4 million for the ALSA since the beginning of the fundraiser. As of August 27th, the ALSA had received $94.3 million opposed to the $2.7 million they raised last year in the same time frame. The money that is donated is being used to fund research to find a cure for this awful disease. The president of the association has spoken about how they plan to keep the ALS community involved in how they are using the money. Donations can be made on ALSA’s website alsa.org. Contributions of any size are welcomed in the continuing fight against ALS.

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