ALS patient was co- founder of Ice Bucket Challenge
Pat Quinn, a co- founder of the social media campaign ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which has raised more than $ 200 million worldwide for Lou Gehrig’s disease research, died Sunday, according to the ALS Assn. He was 37.
Quinn was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2013, a month after his 30th birthday, the organization said in a statement announcing his death.
“Pat fought ALS with positivity and bravery and inspired all around him,” the association said. “Those of us who knew him are devastated but grateful for all he did to advance the f ight against ALS.... Our thoughts are with the Quinn family and all of his friends and supporters. Pat was loved by many of us within the ALS community and around the world.”
In 2014, Quinn saw an ice bucket challenge on the social media feed of pro golfer Chris Kennedy, who f irst dared his wife’s cousin Jeanette Senerchia to take a bucket of ice water, dump it over her head, post a video on social media and ask others to do the same or to make a donation to charity. Senerchia’s husband had ALS.
Quinn and ALS challenge co- founder Pete Frates, along with their teams of supporters, helped popularize the stunt. The ALS Assn. said Quinn “knew it was the key to raising ALS awareness,” calling it “the greatest social media campaign in history.”
Frates, a former Boston
College baseball player, died in December 2019 at the age of 34.
When the two men picked up on the challenge, the phenomenon exploded, the organization said. Thousands of people participated in the viral trend, including celebrities, sports stars, business magnates and politicians.
“It dramatically accelerated the f ight against ALS, leading to new research discoveries, expanded care for people living with ALS, and significant investment from the government in ALS research,” the organization’s statement said.
Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the New York Yankees great who died of it in 1941, is a progressive neurodegenerative illness that leads to paralysis from the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cure.
The organization added that Quinn continued to raise awareness and funds after popularizing the challenge. In 2015, the association honored him, among others, as “ALS Heroes” — an award given to people living with the disease who have had a significant positive impact on the f ight against it.
On the f ifth anniversary of the challenge, Quinn, who was from Yonkers, N. Y., addressed a crowd in Boston.
“Nobody knew the ice bucket challenge would become a worldwide phenomenon, but we united as one because that is what it takes to change a disease like ALS,” he said. “… We will never stop f ighting together. I will not leave this Earth until I know the next person diagnosed with ALS has a real plan to live with this disease, not just die from it.”