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How Did A Simple Challenge Become A Worldwide Phenomenon?

Part 5 of the TED Radio Hour episode Amateur Hour.

About Nancy Frates' TED Talk

The 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was one of the fastest fundraising efforts in history. Nancy Frates recounts how her love for her son Pete plunged her into leading a worldwide awareness campaign.

About Nancy Frate

When Nancy Frates' son was diagnosed with ALS in 2012, she was confused. Pete was a 27-year-old athlete and the only people she'd ever known with the disease were elderly.

Ever since that life-changing moment, she and her family have found their sense of purpose in working tirelessly to raise awareness about ALS and to stimulate funding for research.

In 2014, she and her family helped raise over $220 million for ALS research by kicking off the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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TED Radio Hour
NPR/TED Staff