Some Like It HOT, and Some Like It COLD

By Jo Ann Simon

May was National ALS Awareness Month. #ALSAwareness The National ALS Association asked everyone to join the fight to create a world without Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. But it’s not too late to help!

I lost my husband to ALS and truly understand how important it is to make people aware of how we can all help to find a cure for this devastating disease.

Most of us remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge involving the dumping of a bucket of ice and water over a person’s head, either by another person or self-administered. This was done to promote awareness of ALS , and raise funds with donations for research. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Gehrig was a star player on the New York Yankees baseball team when his body started not to respond to his brain.

What caused the Ic Bucket Challenge to become viral was that you had to challenge three people when you did it.

Some notable information from the Ice Bucket Challenge is that more than 17 million people around the world uploaded their challenge videos to Facebook. These videos were watched by 449 million people a total of 10 billion timesand nationally, 2.5 million people donated $115 million to the ALS Association in 2014.

Amazing! It felt good to do it, challenge other people, and contribute to a cure. This was a major phenomenon that changed the world of ALS starting in the year 2014. The amount of money that was raised, how it helped ALS patients and families, and the progress that it has made since then is the most ever accomplished in ALS’s long history. It is humbling to be able to help in a small way and to know that it will help in a huge way in the future for mankind.

Although the Ice Bucket Challenge was an overwhelming success, we need to keep the donations coming in to find a cure for ALS.

If you missed the ALS Hot Pepper Challenge #ALSPepperChallenge in May, why not try it now?

Eat a hot pepper.  Stop ALS cold.

In honor of their mom Patty who was diagnosed with ALS, the Haberstroth family created the challenge and set a goal of raising $1 million dollars for the ALS Therapy Development Institute. Patty supports this Institute and deeply believes in their motto:

ALS is not an incurable disease. It is an underfunded one.  

Every dollar counts and can make a difference between life and death.

Since the Hot Pepper Challenge started in December 2017, just over half of that goal $572,817 was raised as of May 13^th 2018 and counting, which is an impressive number. Everyone can join in the endeavor. Some folks will still continue the Ice Bucket Challenge, but it has fizzled out and is no longer the hottest thing to do. No pun intended. The hottest thing to do now is the Hot Pepper Challenge. I challenge everyone to join the fun, eat a hot pepper, make a donation to find a cure for ALS, and challenge three more people. Do it and save lives!!!

Here’s what you need to do to get involved:

• Take a short video of yourself eating a hot pepper
• Nominate three (3) people to do the same.
• Encourage your network to donate to www.als.net/pepper and tag @alstdi when you post and share on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube accounts.
• If you are not on social media, just send to your three people, and donate to ALS TDI

Everyone can do it, and if you don’t want to eat a hot pepper, then just make a donation, challenge three people and make a difference.

It was too late for the Ice Bucket Challenge to help my husband, but it is not too late for everyone else who has been or will be diagnosed with ALS.

Everyone should be encouraged to support ALS, make donations, do the ALS Ice Bucket or Hot Pepper Challenge and challenge other people to do the same. Let’s make this viral again and create a world without ALS.

Links to find out more about ALS:

ALS Therapy Development Institute: https://www.als.net/

The ALS Association: http://www.alsa.org/

Jo Ann Simon, a corporate executive, is a lifelong nutmegger, living in various locations in the state of Connecticut. She is a constant traveler, exploring the world including her favorite country, Italy. When she is not traveling, Jo Ann loves spending time with family, friends and seven grandchildren. Her day job is running an Electronics Contract Manufacturing Company. Painting fine art, gardening and writing fill in the blanks of her life. Palm trees are essential in her personal landscape with beaches to match and to sink her feet into the soft sand.

Connect with Jo Ann Simon on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and her Blog. Learn more about Jo Ann Simon and Rose Colored Glasses please visit, www.joann-simon.com.