I haven’t thought about him in years, I don’t even remember his name. At the time I was a district manager for a New England pizza chain and he worked for me in one of the most rural areas of New Hampshire. He was young, maybe late 20’s when he died with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Back then I was only familiar with ALS as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and I remember being shocked that it could strike someone that young and take such a drastic toll so quickly.

I have since done a little investigation and found out several fascinating facts about ALS.

– It’s a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spreads to muscles throughout the body. But only voluntary muscles, not the heart or digestive system.

– Victims may become totally paralyzed.

– It will likely affect speech, breathing and swallowing.

– There is no cure.

A lot of progress has been made in the area of understanding ALS and treating the symptoms and that’s why I’m posting this. As in the case of most medical research, a little help can go a very long way.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It started through social media but it seems like it’s everywhere. Awesome!!

If you’re called out, do it! The challenge involves dumping a bucket of ice over your head or paying up… $100 to the ALS association. A lot of people have chosen to do both. But if you choose the “bucket” then kudos to you! You’re spreading the word. According to the ALS.org website, as of August 20th the challenge has raised 31.5 Million Dollars compared to 1.9 million in the same time period last year.

I was called out by a fellow Realtor and chose three of my Title Company buddies as the next victims.

Pop your video or photo on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, maybe on your website or here on wordpress. Reply to this post and include your media or link in your comment, or let me know where to find it and I’ll be more than happy to share it!

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