Ice-bucket challenge nominees in Spain raise 600,000 euros for ALS
Ice-bucket challenge nominees in Spain raise 600,000 euros for ALS
PARTICIPANTS in Spain in the famouse 'ice-bucket challenge' have so far raised 600,000 euros for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as Motor Neurone Disease) in just one month.
But many others nominated to take a freezing-cold drenching chose to donate to other charities instead.
This has proven particularly the case with expatriates, many of whom have handed over cash to cancer charities including the AECC, MABS and more local outfits such as Cancer Care Jávea on the Costa Blanca, which has pledged to invest a quarter of a million a year for four years in a pioneering pharmacogenomic research laboratory.
The English Cathedra of Modern Oncology Research (ECMOR) is based at the Marina Alta district hospital in Dénia (Alicante province), and it netted thousands of euros from a public soaking in nearby Jávea where the mayor tipped a bucket of water over a local shop-owner and several others who volunteered on the day.
Even where other charities have benefited from people getting cold and wet – admittedly far less of a challenge in Spain in August and September, where temperatures are in the thirties, than in chillier countries – it has still managed to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease, a condition which is currently incurable and which affects over 3,000 people in Spain alone.
Its low incidence and high mortality means ALS, or Motor Neurone Disease is an illness most people in Spain had not heard of until the ice-bucket challenge reached the country after starting in the USA.
But now, the money raised – and future funds which may be amassed now the public knows what the disease is – can be spent on researching treatment to hopefully slow down the relentless progress of the illness, increase services and finance necessary equipment and home renovations for those who are suffering with it.
It all started in July when former USA-born basketball player Pete Frates, who suffers from ALS, tipped a cold bucket of water over himself to raise funds and awareness.
Numerous celebrities around the world have jumped on the bandwagon as well as members of the public.
The photo shows footballer Sergio Ramos getting a chilly soaking in aid of ALS.
