GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Hundreds of people -- young and old -- braved the frigid water at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester on Saturday, taking an icy plunge into the ocean to honor the memory of Pete Frates on his 40th birthday.
The “Plunge4Pete” event marked the latest effort in the Peter Frates Family Foundation’s continued push to find a cure for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Pete’s mother, Nancy Frates, was on hand for the polar plunge.
“We’re so proud of you Pete. Look at how you’re inspiring still, forever,” Nancy said.
Pete Frates, the creator of the iconic ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge,” passed away from the disease in 2019 at the age of 34.
Frates grew up on the North Shore and lived a busy life, studying communications and history at Boston College while balancing life as captain of the baseball team.
At the age of 27, Pete Frates was diagnosed with ALS, which affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord as it attacks muscles and makes them weaker.
Frates decided to use the diagnosis to begin advocacy and fundraising work for ALS research, eventually coming up with the Ice Bucket Challenge.
The Ice Bucket Challenge became a viral phenomenon in 2014.
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