Pete Frates is a man we have come to know and admire and now people all over the world will have the chance to learn his story in this new book.
Pete's wife Julie says he's thrilled.
“We’re celebrating with our closest 500 friends as we would normally do and it's just a night to celebrate Pete and all the work that's he's done,” she said.
“The Ice Bucket Challenge: Pete Frates and the Fight against ALS” is the story of a Red Sox fan from Beverly who played baseball in high school and later at Boston College.
The future looked bright until 2012. At the young age of 27, Pete was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Pete can no longer speak or move
“ALS is not a fun topic,” Pete’s mom Nancy Frates said. “It's a horrific diagnosis and terrible progression. But our family chose to live with ALS and to work within this to make it better and I think it's a good representation of that.”
Instead of pulling back from life, Pete made it his mission to raise money and awareness for ALS research.
His ice bucket challenge took the internet by storm, raising nearly $250 million for ALS treatment and research.
“He was in charge of raising this massive amount of money to try to figure out about this terrible disease. He's a hero, he's a real hero,” former Red Sox player David Ortiz said.
Pete is a fighter and a giver. His wife said she hopes his story will inspire others.
“If I ever had something for our daughter to read, it's the work her father put in to this community for ALS research,” she said.
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