On
June 1, 1925, New York Yankees manager Miller Huggins needed someone to pinch
hit for shortstop Pee Wee Wannninger. He went to his bench and chose a 22
year-old left-handed hitter named Lou Gehrig. The next day, Gehrig took over
the regular first base duties from Wally Pipp and for the next fourteen years,
he never missed a game. While compiling an implausible streak of 2,130
consecutive games, Gehrig played through illness, broken bones, and concussions,
never once complaining, never once asking for a break. During that span, he put
up numbers that still have not been surpassed by a first baseman to this day,
including most RBI’s, most runs scored, and highest on-base percentage, among
others. Nicknamed “The Iron Horse,” it appeared as if nothing could stop Lou
Gehrig. But when the 1939 season rolled around, the 37 year-old All-Star suddenly
lost all the power in his swing and all of his speed on the base paths. On May,
2nd, Gehrig benched himself. He would never again play another game
of baseball. Two years later, he would be dead.
Lou Gehrig suffered from Amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND), or Charcot
disease. In the United States today, it is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s
disease, named after its most famous victim. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease
characterized by muscle spasticity, muscle atrophy, dysarthria, dysphagia, and
dyspnea. In layman’s terms, the disease causes its victim’s muscles to stop
working, usually to the point where they can’t move, and eventually to the
point where they can’t even speak, swallow, or breathe. The majority of people
diagnosed with ALS will die within three to five years from the onset of
symptoms. There is no cause for ALS. There is no cure.
Two months ago, barely anybody in
the United States knew what ALS even was. Personally, only because he's my favorite baseball player of all time, I did know that Lou Gehrig died from a
horrible disease that now bears his name, but that’s about it. I didn’t know
that it was called ALS. I didn’t realize that it killed so quickly. I didn’t
realize that there is still so little that can be done for its victims. Like
most people, I didn’t know much. And then people started pouring buckets of ice
water over their heads.
Cold water challenges, such as the “polar
plunge,” have been around for a long time, often used to raise money for
charity, but never before has such a challenge taken over the hearts and minds
of an entire country. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge first gained national attention
on June 30th of this year when personalities on the Golf Channel
performed the challenge live on-air. On July, 15, Hall of Fame golfer Greg
Norman challenged Matt Lauer to perform the task on the The Today Show. The rest, as they say, is history.
But with anything that gains national attention,
there will be naysayers. Some
Catholic organizations have called for a boycott due to the use of embryonic
stem cells in ALS research. So, I guess it’s all right to cover up years of
child molestation inside the church, but not to attempt to cure a horrific
disease. Pamela Anderson has criticized the challenge due to the use of animal
experimentation in ALS research. Hey Pamela, how do you think they developed
all that makeup you’re wearing, and those products you put in your hair, and
your fake boobs? Others have noted the waste of water, or the carbon footprint
caused by producing the ice. To all those people: Do you have a lawn? Do you
take daily showers? Do you drive a car? Are you alive? Then maybe you shouldn’t
be pointing fingers. Others accuse the challenge of being self-congratulatory,
focusing on fun rather than donating. But if that was the case, then how has the
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised several years’ worth of donations in just a few
weeks’ time?
If you do a little research, it’s
easy to find something wrong with any charity. Lance Armstrong created an
entire foundation to help draw attention away from the fact that he was a lying
cheater, but did it help people nonetheless? The CEO of Goodwill pays himself a
higher salary than any other CEO of a non-profit organization, but isn’t he
still giving less fortunate people a shot at a better life? The Susan G. Komen
Foundation sues other charities for using the term “race for the cure,” but
aren’t they still making an impact when it comes to the fight against breast
cancer?
The point is that every organization has its faults.
If you don’t want to give to a charity due to your personal beliefs, then
simply choose another charity to support. The 2013 “word of the year” was “selfie.”
Is that the kind of narcissistic world you want to live in? At least, for the
first time in a long time, our public conscience has shifted from
self-obsession to helping others. And sure, it might just be a fad, and next
month we’ll probably forget all about it and move onto something else, but I
don’t recall so much negative controversy over the Harlem Shuffle, which didn’t
raise any money for any worthy cause. At least the Ice Bucket Challenge is
helping to open our eyes. I mean, seriously, how much did you know about ALS
two months ago?
I was nominated to do the Ice Bucket Challenge by my
friend Chris, and in turn, he pledged to donate a sum of money to a local
Portland non-profit. I in turn nominated my entire bicycle race team, pledging
$2 for each person who completes the task. If everybody does it, it will be
over $50, which may not seem like much, but it’s what I can give. And since the
ALS foundation seems to being doing just fine right now when it comes to charitable
contributions, I will be donating to the Boys and Girls Club of America, an
organization that had a large impact on my life growing up. So, choose a
charity, choose a challenge, have some fun while you’re at it, and take pride
in what our society is accomplishing right now. I know I am.
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