For a good cause

By now everyone has seen the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. It was started to raise awareness of the motor neurone disease that affects surprisingly a small percent of the population. Some friends of ours lost a relative, a woman I knew and spent time with over the years, to ALS two years ago. It was not an easy road after her diagnosis. The ice bucket challenge was started so that people would take notice of the disease. The premise was easy. Pour icy water over your head, issue a challenge to someone else. If that person doesn't pour icy water over his head within twenty four hours then he is suppose to donate money to the ALS Foundation.

The challenge took off on social media. You can't get on twitter, instagram, or facebook without someone dumping icy water over his head. Everyone has taken to the challenge like, well, ducks to the water. Supposedly, despite most people opting to accept the challenge instead of paying, the foundation has received thousands of dollars in donations. Good for them. I'm glad. It is a miserable, horrible disease.

I thought the shtick sort of counter productive since people were into getting wet. But then someone got the bright idea of challenging and donating at the same time and then that took off.  I was hoping to avoid it all. While I'm all for donating to organizations for research, I learned a long time ago that I couldn't donate to everyone. I limited myself to three. I donate to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, St. Judes, and the American Heart Association. I have volunteered for the American Red Cross since I was fifteen. I certainly did not want to be brought into the craze of the ice bucket challenge when my SIL and our family was dealing with breast cancer.

But then I was sucked into the challenge by my nephew. Not by the nephew who was pouring water over his head, but by the nephew who was filming it. I'm not sure that really counts as challenges go, but my youngest, who had already filmed her own icy water bath, said to me, "Breast Cancer has an entire month dedicated to it each year. ALS needs to spread the word." And that got to me, and so I filled a bowl with ice and water and dumped it over my head. To bypass my body image problem I did it that very night I heard my name challenged. I posted to Instagram and now here.

And then Elliot wanted to be involved. He challenged Oliver Mason and Lucy Goodman. Here's to a good cause.