Last year, the ALS ice bucket challenge was ubiquitous – everyone from schoolchildren to CEOS dumped icy water on their heads in the name of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease. The effort raised more than awareness; $115 million went to the ALS Association, with the majority going toward research.
Peninsula Regional Medical Center participated, and will host another ALS Ice Bucket Challenge this year, on August 14 at 3 p.m. at PRMC’s Avery W. Hall Educational Center. Please join in if you want to show your support. The location and time coincide with Peninsula Regional’s ALS support group, where patients and families affected by the disease can come for support, education and socializing.
PRMC’s ALS clinic and support group members have proved themselves outstanding over the past year. Ethan Ortiz, the 7-year-old son of ALS patient Robert Ortiz, who passed away last year, threw the first pitch at a Delmarva Shorebirds ALS night game. Tim Hill, an ALS patient, walked solo from Dewey Beach to Bethany Beach to provide hope to others with ALS, and to raise funds – and his “Ten-Mile Miracle” Foundation then donated funds to the PRMC ALS Clinic in July. A family member of an ALS Clinic patient who passed away donated a handicapped-accessible van to another ALS patient in July, a donation that can be life-changing.
When you see the Ice Bucket Challenge make a comeback this year, remember the exceptional, generous and optimistic people it is designed to support.
