WATCH ABOVE: Because of the ice bucket challenge, the ALS Society of Alberta was able to respond to every single request for support in our province. Online producer Emily Mertz explains.
EDMONTON — The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge may have saturated your social media feeds last summer, but it did a lot of good for patients in Alberta.
Because of the campaign’s success, the ALS Society of Alberta was able to respond to every single request for support in the province.
In the summer of 2014, the challenge went viral. Everyone from Oprah to Bill Gates to LeBron James posted videos of themselves being doused in ice water to raise awareness and money for the cause.
The Ice Bucket Challenge raised a total of $17 million in Canada; $2.8 million of that in Alberta.
READ MORE: Ice Bucket Challenge raises over $16M for ALS Canada
The funds allowed ALS Canada to accelerate the national research program. In Alberta, doctors received some of the first financial support for a clinical trial taking place in Calgary with 25 patients with ALS.
“Trying to establish pimozide, which is an older medication used for psychiatric illnesses that looks very promising as a treatment for ALS,” explained Dr. Lawrence Korngut with the Calgary ALS and Motor Neuron Disease Clinic.
“We’ve already been underway testing it to see if it is beneficial in patients with ALS.”
Thanks to the success of the challenge, the ALS Society of Alberta was able to add 1,462 items to its equipment loan program, fund more transportation for patients to clinics and appointments, and continue to provide all programs and services for free.
“The ALS Society has gone above and beyond to support myself and my family with the necessary equipment and resources such as the equipment loan program and research forums to help me live a more manageable life,” said Judy Van Dresar, an Alberta patient. “The Ice Bucket Challenge not only increases the programs and resources available but puts much needed funding toward research in order to find a treatment, if not a cure for this horrific disease.”
The society estimates an ALS diagnosis can cost a family up to $250,000.
READ MORE: What is ALS? The disease behind the Ice Bucket Challenge
Also due to the success of the challenge, ALS Canada saw a 70 per cent increase in peer-reviewed grant applications from Canadian researchers.
The organization is encouraging people to celebrate last year’s success by continuing to post videos online with the hashtag #ALSIceBucketChallenge and to donate if they’re able at www.alsicebucketchallenge.ca
WATCH: Thousands of people young and old, willingly and pretty gleefully posting videos of themselves taking a bucket of ice water – and it’s all for a good cause.
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