So…I want to talk about the ALS ice bucket challenge
something I feel passionately about. I
know you are probably wondering why I am talking about this, yes I know it has
been going on for a while now and yes, I am aware that people are getting a
little fed up of it but I really have to beg for you to be patience for just a
little while longer because I think this is actually very special and here are
my reasons why:
1) It is for a good cause.
Okay so this one’s a given.
The ALS Ice bucket challenge exists to raise money for a charity that
normally doesn’t get very much and it’s working. At the time of writing donations to the charity
has hit $53.3 million. To put that into perspective
in the same time period last year (July-August) the charity had received $2.2
million in donations. That is an insane
increase and it is all because of the Ice Bucket Challenge. ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease is a devastating condition. It is a degenerative motor neuron disease
that leads to total paralysis. The life expectancy
of a person with ALS is two to five years from diagnosis which is
shocking. There is currently no cure.
Before the ice bucket challenge I knew nothing about ALS, I hadn’t
even heard of it. Now I know what it is,
I have donated money to the charity and have poured ice water over my head to
help raise money and awareness of it. Anything
that can educate people in such a short time and raise money has to be great.
2) It’s fun!!!
I have had a great time watching other people’s challenges. There have been some great ones, some failed
ones (that are also great) and some painful looking ones. It has also been fun watching some of my favourite
celebrities take on the challenge. Some of
my favourites have been Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pratt, Victoria Beckham and
Luke Evans. Despite what it might look
like taking the challenge is also fun too.
Yes it was cold and my jeans felt like they were super glued on
afterwards but I actually quite enjoyed it and laughed a lot. My friends who filmed and poured also enjoyed
it (because they are evil). In the
picture below it might not look like I am having a good time but I assure you I
am, that weird look on my face is a smile…ish.
3) It is something everyone can take part in.
I have seen every type of person take this challenge. Bed bound ALS patients have taken it, movie
stars have taken it, my friend a social worker has taken it, police
officers have taken it, me a coffee shop worker in the UK has taken it, the ex-president
of the United States has taken it. I
could go on and on but my point is that this is accessible and anyone can do it. You don’t have to be famous and rich, you don’t
have to be fit enough to do a fun run or challenge and you don’t have to give up
a huge chunk of your time. It is something we all as a global society can do together. All you need
is a bucket, some ice, a donation (small or large) and something to film it on
and you are good to go.
I get that the
donation part might be a worry. I know money is tight right now I myself could
only give a little but my mum matched my donations after she saw my video and
some of my friends donated too. Three of
the people I nominated took on the challenge and also donated and so have the
people they challenged and hopefully the people they challenge will do the same. You don’t have to give a lot to make an
impact.
4) It is social media doing a good.
I actually think this one is important so bear with me if I
rant. I love social media, I am on it a
lot (too much). I blog, tumblr, pin,
tweet and Facebook pretty much every day.
I like it, it allows people to communicate on a global scale, it allows freedom
of information and informed discussion, it allows people to share their
passions and educate themselves and others.
But with the good comes a lot of bad and the bad is mostly all you hear
about. There are trolls intent on
bullying, manipulating and belittling others.
There are predators, scammers, hackers, thieves, liars and cheats. But finally social media is in the news for a
good thing. Simply put there would be no
ice bucket challenge if it wasn’t for social media, without twitter, Facebook, YouTube, instagram
and whosay this money would have never been raised. I know the Ice
Bucket challenge has taken over your feeds, I know it is all anyone ever talks
about and I know there are other, important things going on but it is nice to
see this medium used for something so very good and positive.
Soon this will all be over and the Ice Bucket Challenge will
be a memory. Hopefully the money raised
will go on to make a difference to the research and treatment of ALS and help
those with the disease and those who will have it in the future.
Before I go I want to say something to all my fellow
internet users. This is something to be
proud of, we did something right and we should hold our heads up high because
what we have achieved and the money we have raised has been mind-blowing. So to the non-famous people, famous people, the
people who tried but (sometimes hilariously) failed, the people who watched
and donated, the people living with ALS and the people who will go on to do the challenge and donate, well done. We all did this together and it was an honour to be a part of it.
If you are fed up with this challenge I hope reading this has changed
your mind and I hope that you choose to take part in some way, if not well then
it will be over soon but hopefully not forgotten.
I cannot begin to imagine what living with ALS is like, it is beyond contemplation for a lot of us. The video at the bottem of this post should give you some idea and I hope some incentive to take part. Too find out more about ALS, the ice bucket challenge and to
donate please visit: www.alsa.org
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