Many people having been sharing videos of the ALS icebucket challenge on different media channels like Facebook & Twitter (#icebucket). The social message has been able to get about $50 million in donations in less than a month so far, according to reports.
While, many people are just seeing it as a “viral” fad or campaign, the video here gets into the details of why awareness about this diseases is critical, and we these donations and conversations will go a long way in establishing medical awareness and research into this rare but alarmingly scary disease.
ALS is a neurological disorder in which the body muscles stop functioning and the patients have a life span of just 2-5 years after being diagnosed. The illness is hard to detect, and while it affects older people more especially between 40 to 60 years of age, it can also affect younger people still in their 20s. The diseases can be inherited via genes and can also be totally random. There are no absolute preventive medicines and eradication of the disease which is talked about so less, is still a big research gap.
It is absolutely critical for everyone to continue talking about these lesser known illnesses so that the medical community and the big charity organizations , international bodies and governments, can take notice and work on inspirational research to find a cure. On most occasions, we just talk about social media in a very critical – “we are wasting time” manner. But this campaign truly shows what the power of conversations can deliver. Please spread the word and consider donating (rules of the Icebucket challenge).