Ok, so heres my opinion on the newest viral trend out there: The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Before this whole thing got started, I had heard the term Lou Gherigs Disease, but never knew what it meant. This challenge thats been circulating has done well at one thing: raising awareness. However, From what Ive seen. people are more willing to inconvenience themselves in order to avoid donating the demanded $100 (or whatever) to researching a cure. Ive seen only a very small few people who have actually donated (and good on you!) to the cause theyre fighting so vigilantly to aid. The way I see it, the biggest flaw in this whole awareness frenzy is the fact that people seem to be doing this challenge and moving on with their lives. What does that contribute? Instead of pouring freezing water on myself under the guise of spreading awareness, Ive decided to take a new approach to this campaign. I have dedicated my time to doing a little bit of research on what ALS really is, and heres what Ive learned. -ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/Lou Gherigs disease) is a neurological disease that targets nerves in ones spinal cord and brain, resulting in loss of voluntary muscular movement and control, and leads to paralysis. -There are over 5,500 reported cases of ALS each year, and the disease had an average mortality rate of about 2 in every 100,000. -Most people who contract/develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70. It seems as if the disease becomes more likely as one gets older. -ALS is more commonly contracted/developed by men over women by a whopping 20%. In fact, according to the official ALS CARE database, 60% of those inflicted are males. -People who are diagnosed with ALS are expected to live for anywhere between 2-5 years after being diagnosed with the disease, but with the help of modern medicine, the range is being stretched out (in some cases, patients have lived for over 10 years after diagnosis.) -There are 3 major classifications of ALS: Sporadic, which is the most common form, making up for about 90-95% of all reported cases, Familial, which is contracted through genetic inheritance, and makes up for about 5-10% of all cases, and Guamanian, as ALS seemed to be incredibly prominent in Guam and other pacific territories in the 1950s era. As a friend put it, not everyone has the money to spare for donations (I certainly dont).If you have the money to, (and you want to, of course) go ahead and donate WHAT YOU CAN, not what others try to coerce you to. Alternative to the new practice of challenging yourself for the sake of ALS awareness, I propose a new challenge: Learn a bit about ALS (If you already have done so, pat yourself on the back for initiative!). Unlike the trending Challenge of pouring ice water on your head in an attempt to avoid paying for a cause, this challenge spreads something universal: Knowledge. Its a common fact that Knowledge is power, so if you arent able to help in a monetary fashion, you can at least pass the knowledge around so people know what it is that we are all trying to fight. The more everyone knows about this disease, the bigger the step humanity can take towards finding a cure for it. Thank you for reading all the way to the end. I know its quite the essay, but yeah. Go ahead and pass this along, (or not, im not your boss) and take the time to learn about the enemy we are fighting (EVEN IF you already have donated, or completed the challenge). (DISCLAIMER: This does NOT mean that Im calling ones efforts futile or unnecessary if they have already completed the challenge. I hold no judgment over anyone in how they decide to play their part.) If you disagree with me, well... this is the internet. It was made for arguing and Im ok with that. Hell, copy and paste this for all I care. Its still spreading the knowledge.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 05:15:04 +0000