ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclorosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease after the notable New York Yankee's baseball player who was diagnosed with the disease and died from it, is becoming a household name thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge.

The Ice Bucket Challenge asks the participant to either donate to an ALS foundation of their choice or raise awareness for the disease by posting a video of themselves pouring a bucket of ice cold water over their head and nominating at least three more people to complete the challenge within 24 hours.     

Just last week, I was nominated for the challenge by my Bostonian friend, Mary Kate.  I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I did the challenge in less than 24 hours, but I did accept and complete the task, in addition to donating to the cause (which you can do right here) as an excuse for my lateness.

After the initial shock of ice cold water, I began to wonder why exactly I was doing this. That's when I decided to look up more information about what exactly ALS is, and what else I could do to help.

ALS is a disease where the motor neurons in the brain degenerate, and the person gradually lose all forms of voluntary muscle movement, eventually becoming completely paralyzed.  Although this doesn't affect the heart, which beats automatically, it can affect their breathing, ability to walk, eat, and even think. Half of those diagnosed with ALS do not live more than three years after their diagnosis. 
There is no known cause or cure for ALS, but with the amount of money already raised from this viral ice bucket challenge, the funding for research is sure to help.

I've done my part by donating, and accepting the challenge. Now, I nominate you! Take a day to put your beer money to a good cause, and use your cooler full of ice to spread awareness. You have 24 hours, y'all! 

For more information about ALS, go to www.alsa.org