The Ice Bucket Challenge to raise Awareness & Donations for funding research and finding a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) has gone viral on social networks….ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and the Spinal Cord and affects the muscles…It is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease as this famous US Baseball Player brought attention to it in 1939 as he was afflicted by it and it ended his career….although it was discovered in 1869 by a French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot
I have not yet been invited for the Challenge but I do have two questions preying my mind like I’m sure they do many other minds too
Without the Ice Bucket Challenge would they have been able to raise Awareness & Donations for ALS as quick ?
One accepts the Challenge to escape Donation…how ice cool is that ! ?
The Answer to the first question is a straight ‘No’….but they could have found another less controversial way to avoid water wastage
It all began in 2012 when Boston Pitcher Pete created this challenge….The ALS Foundation raised US $ 19 m in 2012 and US $ 64 m in 2013…By third week August 2014 it has passed the US $ 50 m mark already in 2014
Yet to figure out the answer to the second ! though son tells me you don’t have to donate yourself…just post the link and a donation is made on your behalf…need to check this out though
Many have their own reasons not to support the Challenge…
It was an impulsive ‘with the flow’ day on Monday,August 4,2014….as Daughter & Wife who were in the Churchgate Area called me at work and said “lets have lunch together” ….and past 2 pm they picked me up and Daughter decided that Lunch would be at her favourite ,and ours too,Yokos Sizzlers at Fort,a stones throw from my office and even her school,now ex-school….she loves to celebrate birthdays and achievements at Yokos and we have been blessed she has matured into a fine young lady soon to be 19 and has already achieved more than we did in our lifetime till now…and it’s only her beginning….so Yokos has been a frequent dining place for us
So it was our regular French Onion & Cheese Soup & Iced Tea followed by their Super Sizzlers prepared just the way you want with extra french fries or mushrooms etc in Garlic or Pepper Sauce with additional bowls of these sauces to spread some more
And we were more delighted and felt extra warm and special as Daughter insisted she will pay for the Lunch !…dipping into what’s she’s aggregated and accumulated thus far from ‘may be token but priceless earnings’ from representing State & India in Football + monies she received from Family & Friends for her achievements ….and her school appreciated her returning within days after her Std XII ISC Examinations to stand in for two weeks for Biology and teach Stds 9 to 12…acknowledged this with a Letter,Certificate and even a Cheque Amount ! which she initially refused to bank as she felt it was not right ! as she did not do this for Money !…we were touched she felt this way but convinced her it was alright to bank the cheque…she agreed but has directed this amount be kept aside for her to apply for a noble cause later on
That was her first real treat to us ! and we shall remember this and what she stated too
” Mom & Dad this may be my first Lunch Treat for you but it won’t be my last !”
Our Son too had treated us warmly with his first pay cheque…even to this date he keeps his monthly cheque before God before it’s deposited
Daughter leaves this weekend for Higher Science Studies on an overseas scholarship and our Son will be going with her to settle her in