# Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge of 2014? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 6, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614 "2017-07-06T15:42:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/1 "2017-07-06T15:42:33Z")
Did you participate either by getting your head soaked or by sponsoring someone who did, or did you mock those who did either? Well, the awful truth about where the money went has been revealed: [_A crapload of money was raised, it went to where it was supposed to go, and it has done a lot of good_.](https://consumerist.com/2017/07/05/what-was-all-that-ice-bucket-challenge-money-actually-used-for/) So good on alla youse what participated in the silliness. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/2 "2017-07-06T17:42:39Z")
I donated money. Wasn’t the ice bucket dump to _get out_ of giving money? I’m guessing a whole lot of people were dumping ice water on their heads without actually knowing why, besides, “everyone else was doing it.” ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/3 "2017-07-06T17:54:24Z")
And the guy who started the challenge: > [@](#): > > The man who helped spark the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, the wildly popular craze that brought in more than $220 million to combat the disease, now doesn’t have enough money of his own to stay in his home and receive care. > > Pete Frates, 32, who is credited with popularizing the viral phenomenon that aimed to find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is almost entirely paralyzed and on a feeding tube. > > The out-of-pocket cost for care at his Beverly, Massachusetts, home near Boston is about $2,400-$3,000 a day, or as much as about $1 million a year, a crushing financial burden the family can no longer afford, his mother, Nancy Frates, tells PEOPLE. > **[Pete Frates Who Inspired ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Out of Money for His Own Care](https://people.com/human-interest/pete-frates-als-ice-bucket-challenge-money-own-care/)** > > The man who helped spark the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, the wildly popular craze that brought in more than $220 million to combat the disease, now doesn't have enough money of his own to stay in his home and receive care. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/4 "2017-07-06T17:59:33Z")
Mr. Frates actually died a week or two ago, but at least he died knowing he made a difference ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/5 "2017-07-07T00:01:25Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Mr. Frates actually died a week or two ago, but at least he died knowing he made a difference Color me clueless. I thought he was still alive, or am I mixing him up with someone else? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/6 "2017-07-07T00:13:10Z")
Good to hear, I’ve given money to help ALS, but thought the ice bucket challenge was stupid. I’m surprised and happy to be pretty much wrong about it also being somewhat useless. Still think the act itself (ice bucket dump) was pretty stupid. About time stupidity was a positive. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/7 "2017-07-07T01:15:48Z")
I’m not in the habit of ranking diseases, but ALS is a horrible, horrible one. I’m glad money (and awareness) was raised. mmm ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/8 "2017-07-07T01:31:56Z")
I remember it well. My entire office building of 17 floors participated. We had a huge crowd out in the parking lot, even made the local news. It was over 100 degrees the day we did it, so it wasn’t all that uncomfortable. ������ ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/9 "2017-07-07T03:29:30Z")
I donated. And dumped water over my head, cause I was stupid. My then office all donated quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Marci\_Al](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Marci\_Al](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marci_Al)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/10 "2017-07-07T04:18:11Z")
I’m sure there are better ways to fund medical research; albeit less liquid, and not as post-worthy on the net. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/11 "2017-07-07T12:51:03Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I’m not in the habit of ranking diseases, but ALS is a horrible, horrible one. I’m glad money (and awareness) was raised. > mmm That’s what took **DesertWife** twenty-five years ago. Unlike cancer, there isn’t much pain, mostly the remaining muscles being overstressed trying to take up the slack of those no longer working. However, you still get to watch your loved one waste away, a formerly vibrant personality dim when, as in **DW** ’s case, she can’t get enough air into her lungs because her diaphragm is no longer working right. We knew from the literature that the vast majority of patients who went on a [ventilator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_ventilator) never went off of it; her first crisis was her last as even a cuirass would mean she would be confined to a bed for the rest of her life. The bravest thing I have ever done in my life was to tell her that last night that the quality of her life was what was important. “Do not be afraid to stay because of how much work you will be; do not be afraid to go because of how lonely I will be,” because I knew what her answer would be. The next morning at 7am the intubation was removed. She began to fail about forty-five minutes later. After asking her daughters and me – with a tablet as she could no longer speak – “Does this make sense?” she refused to be intubated again. She died about twelve hours later. So, call me prejudiced but I put ALS near the top of my Horrid Disease list. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/12 "2017-07-07T13:35:17Z")
I thought the worst part of the Ice Bucket challenge was seeing celebrities pour water over their heads. That was supposed to be the way out of donating, so it was effectively rich and famous people making a big show out of **not** donating to charity. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/13 "2017-07-07T15:51:06Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Color me clueless. I thought he was still alive, or am I mixing him up with someone else? I mean, in your defense, it JUST happened. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/14 "2017-07-07T16:00:02Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I thought the worst part of the Ice Bucket challenge was seeing celebrities pour water over their heads. That was supposed to be the way out of donating, so it was effectively rich and famous people making a big show out of **not** donating to charity. Huh, I guess I’m misremembering. I thought it was more along the lines of “I’d pay $$ to see [specific celebrity] have ice water poured all over him,” and then you’d text a payment in to a number provided in the youtube video of the event. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/15 "2017-07-07T16:15:24Z")
Celebs generally made a donation and still did the challenge.[Like Bill Gates](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS6ysDFTbLU). Or [Reed Hastings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcHVXiqV24U). ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/16 "2017-07-07T16:25:27Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I thought the worst part of the Ice Bucket challenge was seeing celebrities pour water over their heads. That was supposed to be the way out of donating, so it was effectively rich and famous people making a big show out of **not** donating to charity. Whereas I rather liked Patrick Stewart’s video, where he wrote the check, and then took one ice cube out of the bucket to put into his drink. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/17 "2017-07-07T17:13:27Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Mr. Frates actually died a week or two ago, but at least he died knowing he made a difference This is incorrect. He is currently in the hospita. He has been on the news here every morning for the past week. [Despite death reports Pete Frates resting comfortably in hospital](http://www.fox25boston.com/news/despite-death-reports-pete-frates-resting-comfortably-in-hospital/548295662) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/18 "2017-07-07T17:45:08Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > Whereas I rather liked Patrick Stewart’s video, where he wrote the check, and then took one ice cube out of the bucket to put into his drink. 😉 [Two actually](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR3t485dcBA). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/19 "2017-07-07T19:50:41Z")
I actually think the idea of doing it to get out of it helped the cause, as it made everyone feel like they were going above and beyond when they paid it anyways. Which is what nearly everyone actually did, because otherwise you came off like a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614/20 "2017-07-07T19:57:58Z")
My favorite was Dave Grohl’s Carrie style Ice Bucket Challenge. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_Zh400A03ZY/hqdefault.jpg "Foo Fighters 'Carrie' Ice Bucket Challenge") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zh400A03ZY) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-the-ice-bucket-challenge-of-2014/790614.md?page=2)