Cold reality

I first heard about the ALS Ice bucket challenge from my four centavos several days ago.  I needed an ice pack to apply to my sore right knee when I was informed by the yaya that we had run out of ice because the boys had used them. They were then excitedly showing me photos of their friends as well as famous personalities such as former President George W. Bush and Bill Gates being dunked in a bucket of ice.  I did not make much of what I thought was a passing fad until our own national broadsheets started to feature local news makers including Cabinet Secretaries Mar Roxas and Leila De Lima, and taipan Andrew Tan agreeing to taking a cold bath and challenging others to follow suit (Albay Governor Joey Salceda was wearing one when he got wet). BIR Commissioner Kim Henares donned an Ateneo shirt while doing it which prompted her administrative superior, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, to even things out by wearing a La Salle tee when he took the plunge. This made me curious as to how this practice started and what it was all about.  

ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. It was discovered in 1869 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot but it was only after New York Yankee slugger Lou Gehrig contracted the disease in 1939 that the world took notice.  With the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement slowly but surely lost, patients during the latter stages of the disease become totally paralyzed.  

ALS mainly strikes men between the ages of 40 and 70.  Among the notables who have been afflicted are former US Vice President Henry Wallace, Senator Jacob Javits, US Army General Maxwell Taylor, boxing champion Ezzard Charles and another baseball hall of famer, Jim “Catfish” Hunter.

The idea of a “cold water” challenge to raise money for charity is not new.  During winter, residents in the northern hemisphere initiate “pay or dare” activities where a person is given the option of donating money for a worthy cause or jumping into freezing water.  This particular version was started by Florida resident Chris Kennedy last July 15, 2014.  A video of him performing the challenge was sent to his cousin Jeanette Senerchia who lived in New York and whose husband, Anthony, had been battling ALS for 11 years.  Jeanette’s six-year old daughter filmed her doing the challenge and this clip was circulated using Jeanette’s Facebook account.  Two ALS patients, Pat Quinn and Pete Frates, circulated the challenge within their own networks. As the old adage goes, the rest is history.  No pun intended but awareness for ALS has gone viral.

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A person who is challenged must, within 24 hours, either video record himself being poured over with a bucket or pail of ice water or donate $100 to the ALS Association in the United States or do both.  He then issues a challenge to three persons to at least follow his example. 

Aside from raising public awareness about ALS, it also raised significant amounts for research on the dreaded disease. As of yesterday, the donations for the full month have reportedly exceeded $80 million as compared to around $2 million during the same time period in 2013.  

Conservative Catholics and Christian Evangelicals have expressed concern about donations being made for ALS research using embryonic stem cells. They consider the latter as harmful to the sanctity of human life. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas who is reportedly eyeing the party’s nomination in 2016 has taken the ice bucket challenge but coursed his donation to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute which only uses adult stem cells in their research.  

Aside from raising a similar concern regarding the use of embryonic stem cells, CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas also cautioned against trivializing the challenge and treating it as a fad. It should be seen as an act of compassion, “a gesture of solidarity with all who suffer from ALS and with those who do research on its alleviation.”

Senator Sonny Angara varied the rule somewhat. He allowed himself to be soaked but sought support for the Philippine Society for Orphan Disorders, a group funding research for health conditions resulting from genetic defects that are usually chronic, progressive, degenerative and life-threatening. He also batted for the passage of a law that will provide better health care for patients suffering from less known health disorders.

Much to my boys’ dismay, I have not taken the challenge.  However, I continue to apply ice on my challenged knee.  

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Helping bring back life: Cocolife, turned over three classrooms with toilets and wash area in Valencia Elementary School and four classrooms and a principal’s office in San Jose Elementary School both of which are typhoon Yolanda-damaged schools in Ormoc, Leyte.

The newly constructed structures were specifically designed to withstand extreme weather pursuant to the Department of Education’s Adopt-a-School program. All seven classrooms came fully-furnished with brand-new desks, blackboards and other utilities.

In his brief remarks, Cocolife president, Atty. Alfredo Tumacder, lauded the way the classrooms were constructed – according to specifications and on schedule. He thanked as well the Rotary Ormoc chapter for supplying the manpower and closely supervising the project. He asked the teachers and schoolchildren to take good care of the classrooms so that future generations will be able to enjoy them as well. He then promised to “do a MacArthur” and return again, this time to bring the computer tablets pledged by Rotary International and Rotary Paseo De Roxas.

The Cocolife officers also inspected Tanauan High School and Albuera North Central School for a possible second round of the company’s CSR program of helping rebuild educational facilities destroyed by typhoon Yolanda.

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Advance happy holidays: Day after tomorrow is the first day of the “Ber” months. Parang kailan lang.

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“Only those who do nothing make no mistakes.” – Unknown

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