Meet this week’s “Special Person of the Week:Pete Frates
By: Kirk Fox/ Legacy.com
Pete Frates raised millions of dollars for ALS research by popularizing the ALS ice bucket challenge. Frates was a captain on the Boston College baseball team who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. After his diagnosis, he dedicated himself to working on finding a cure for the disease. Frates found out about the ice bucket challenge from his online friend Patrick Quinn, also diagnosed with ALS. Frates was instrumental in promoting the challenge online and as the public face for the challenge, it is estimated that he raised over $150 million dollars to help find a cure. He won the Sports Illustrated Inspiration of the Year award in 2014.
Died: Monday, December 9, 2019.
Details of death: Died at the age of 34 from ALS.
Our hats are off to his true American spirit!
We here at the Somerville News Weekly salute you for everything that you have done to make Somerville and the world a better place.