The Tragic Death of 34 Year Old Pete Frate, ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Activist

In 2014, the ice bucket challenge took over social media, raising money for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS. ALS is a progressive and typically fatal disease that shuts down the movement of the body by destroying nerve cells in both the brain and spinal cords. Over time it leads to an inability to move your muscles, speak, and by the end, even breathe.  Pete Frates, former Boston College basketball player was diagnosed with ALS back in 2012 and was a huge instigator and promoter of the ice bucket challenge, which ended up raising a grand total of around $115 million. Pete Frates first heard about the challenge after seeing a video posted by one of his friends on Facebook. Although Pete Frates did not start the challenge, after Frates posted a video of himself doing the Ice Bucket Challenge, it became a viral sensation. The videos posted involved individuals pouring ice water on their heads and then challenging three friends to do the challenge within twenty-four hours. More than 17 million people participated, including Bill Gates, George W. Bush, Lebron James, and Oprah Winfrey. The money raised was distributed between research funds and patient community services.

On December 11, 2019, Pete Frates passed away from complications of ALS at the young age of thirty-four. Mr. Frates was not just an ALS patient, but a husband to Julie Kowalik and a father to his 5-year-old daughter Lucy. Pete lived for seven years after his diagnosis, far longer than the average two to three years. Throughout the entirety of his struggle and treatment, Frates “retained his playful sense of humor even as he lost the ability to speak or use his limbs.” Pete was described by his family as someone who saw the best in everything, a leader, and someone who didn’t complain, but rather saw his disease as an opportunity to give hope to other patients and their families. In his lifetime, he was determined to change the trajectory of a disease that had no treatment or cure.” Pete will be remembered as an ALS activist and inspirational role model who was able to take a terrible situation and turn it around while “[showing] the world how to live with a fatal disease.”

By Ruby Kaufman