Choices are Everywhere

Last month, the subject of ALS has come up on several occasions. Notably, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The husband of a Michigan Athletics staff member has been diagnosed with this terrible disease. Our Wolverine family conducted an Ice Bucket Challenge to help raise money for a cure this past August. Within the same week, I heard a Ted Talk Radio Hour segment on NPR. The subject was the rise of the Ice Bucket Challenge and the family who made it famous.

You can listen to the story here:

What I love about this story and the cultural phenomenon that followed, was the choice both the diagnosed patient (Pete Frates) and his family made. It was an attitude shift that impacts the rest of their life, and the many families affected by this disease. As you probably know, there is no cure. What most people don't know is that there is no treatment either. It's been 75 years since Lou Gerhig, and seemingly no progress has been made. A healthy and athletic young man, (and former Division I baseball player), is fighting ALS. It's not pretty, and the future is grim.

Luckily for us, Pete is a natural born leader, just like in his college days. Here was a statement to his family shortly after being officially diagnosed :

"...there will be no wallowing, people. We're not looking back, we're looking forward. What an amazing opportunity we have to change the world. I'm going to change the face of this unacceptable situation of ALS. We're going to move the needle, and I'm going to get it in front of philanthropists like Bill Gates'.

It was a gut wrenching choice, yet also a beautifully simple on. Pete chose to make the most of a really terrible situation. With Pete's lead, his entire family pulled together their resources to create "Team Frate Train". They marketed, they branded, they utilized social media and put ALS in the forefront using the Ice Bucket Challenge as their vehicle. In other words, the Frates family put the pedal to the metal and never stepped off the gas. As a result, the likes of Justin Timberlake, George W. Bush, Ryan Seacrest, Bill Gates (yes - Pete's vision was realized!) and likely your next door neighbor, posted a video of dousing themselves with ice water to raise money and awareness. In 2014 alone, the Ice Bucket Challenge estimated to have raised over 160 million dollars for ALS research.

Team Frate Train put their best foot forward by creating one of the most popular and effective fundraising campaigns of our time. When this team initially got together, Pete's mom didn't even have a Facebook account. A challenge was thrown rudely in the face of Pete and his family and they CHOSE to make a difference. This is the power of passion, people!!

Greatness is truly a choice. It's an attitude. It's enthusiasm. It's passion. I love it! Does it always mean you will be successful? Nope. But it does mean you will be most prepared for the situation right in front of you. Above our team locker room door, we have a sign that reads:

If our players leave Michigan with only one lesson learned, I hope this is it. We are the lucky ones; most people don't have to face the difficult choices that Pete and his family have been rudely thrown.

At this time, Pete Frates is paralyzed and uses eye gazer technology to communicate. He's 29. Pete's greatest choice was to do something positive with really terrible news. He sure did. And for that, he and his family will continue to inspire many people who face ALS or know someone who has. Just as important, the entire Frates family inspire people to make great choices, whether its an attitude or changing the whole world.

If you would like to learn more about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, you can visit: