5. We are having our Magic Johnson moment. When the basketball legend announced that he was HIV positive in 1991, he instantly brought the disease into every home in America. Overnight, everyone knew someone with HIV. The ice bucket challenge does not have one principle figure though, which truly makes it that much more magical.
4. This is a bottomless bucket. When this phenomenon began it went from local to global in an instant that has now continued over 3 weeks with no signs of melting anytime soon. Our online donations have continued to grow every day.
3. Exponentially viral. Celebrities making mistakes or a cute kid slurring his words after a trip to the dentist go viral and then they go away. The ice bucket challenge refuses to go away. That is what is so brilliant about the challenge, every time you see one that means you are going to see another and another. It might have gone viral early, but the Ice Bucket Challenge is now a permanent fixture in pop culture.
2. Awareness doesn't write checks, people do. It is because of the ease and the large part in our daily life that social media plays, that everyone saw and more importantly, shared the ice bucket challenge. Facebook reported that over 12 million people had posted, liked, or shared the challenge in the past 2 weeks, without a single dollar coming in. I and the rest of the ALS community would have called that a monumental success from an awareness standpoint. But not only are millions of people engaged, they are giving too! The ALS Association has reported receiving over $40 million in donations since July 29. I would prefer that the donation go to A Life Story Foundation or directly to our research partner, ALS TDI.
1. We are going to be on Ellen! Well, not me personally, but ALS and the ice bucket challenge are going to be on her season premier because of a truly beautiful life story. Anthony Carbajal shared his soul with the world on what it is like living with ALS and caring for someone with ALS. His words and the emotions are so raw it will without a doubt change the way the world sees ALS - and create action to do something about it.
I have never been more confident than I am right now, that we are going to rewrite the end of ALS.