WESTERN NEW YORK -- You can't log onto social media without seeing videos of friends, elected officials, and even Buffalo Bills linemen dumping ice water on their heads to raise the profile of of ALS.
That's something Western New York resident Mike Maloney has been trying to do since he was diagnosed with the disease two years ago.
As Mike puts it, the diagnosis was a death sentence. There is no cure for ALS, and until it takes your life, the disease makes every day tasks more and more difficult.
"Now when I look at a flight of stairs in my home, it becomes a challenge. When I look at nine grandchildren - my youngest grandchild is three months old - it's difficult for me to pick her up," he said.
But Mike's goal is to stay positive as the disease progresses, and he said watching people complete the simple ice bucket challenge helps him do just that.
Like any viral challenge, there are always naysayers. Some ask people to donate money for research rather than go ahead with the freezing cold challenge, but as someone with ALS, Mike looks at the videos differently.
"Unless you look at that positive attitude, your mind takes you to very dark places, and your mind finds you very little hope. What the ice bucket challenge has done is - it's given hope," he said.
"For the people living with the disease I consistently hear one thing. 'Why is it we cannot get the word out?'" said Kathy Lahey from the ALS Association Upstate NY Chapter. "Something very simple that has created so much awareness. So to all those donors, and those who have taken the challenge - a big thank you."
Mike is hoping for a cure in his lifetime, but says he realizes that might not happen, so his goal, is to do what he can to make a difference for the next person who is diagnosed.
"Telling the world about what this disease is and hopefully, hopefully finding someone - a research scientist or some ability to make a difference - to look at that death sentence to be lifted and to give hope," he said.
While hope is being given, money is as well, and a lot of it. Last year at this time, the ALS Association had raised $25,000 for research. This year, $2.3 million has been raised in the same time period.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1sUAnh2
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