I want to thank the beautiful and talented Isabella Grondin for nominating me for the #alsicebucketchallenge. This challenge has been absolutely incredible. It has raised awareness for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. To date there is no cure for the disease; however, there is promising research underway.
I have really enjoyed watching my friends dump ice cold buckets of water over their heads on Facebook and have been touched by the ones that have lost a loved one to this fatal disease or currently have ALS.
But here’s the thing. I am not going to dump a bucket of ice water over my head.
Why? At this point, I hope you have learned more about what ALS is and have found it in your heart to make a donation. I have personally done both.
I am inspired by the viral nature of this campaign. I have tried to understand what is driving people everywhere to dump ice cold water over their heads. I get the premise – that is a sensation people suffering with ALS experience; but I think there is something bigger here.
That something bigger is empathy, love and connection. People naturally do not like it when others suffer and they feel empowered to be a part of something bigger that is having a positive impact.
I am still not going to pour and ice cold bucket over my head. I am also not going to poke toothpicks under my nails to experience a sensation chemotherapy patients unfortunately experience.
Instead, I’m going to go straight to the heart of this challenge and I am going to feel the empathy. I’m going to inspire the connection. I am going to feel love.
People everywhere are making bold public acts to show their support and love for people they do not even know; yet, right beside them at home and in our communities are their spouses, their friends, their kids, their parents, their pets….who often feel alone or disconnected.
Did you know love can actually change the way the cells in your body form? Love is healthy. Love is healing. So while we commit to finding cures, let’s kick it up a notch and try to prevent disease by spreading the love.
Can we keep the momentum of the #alsicebucketchallenge by shifting slightly? Ice cold water on cold winter days might be a tougher proposition; however, a warm hug can melt even the coldest of hearts; including our own.
Can we spread the love so that all charities that speak to our individual hearts benefit? But even more importantly – Can we reconnect with those closest to us, healing our relationships and ourselves. Can we connect and appreciate our loved ones today rather than wait until it is too late and we have to do a charity campaign in their memory?
Yes! We can. I want to introduce a new challenge, inspired by the fabulous #alsicebucketchallenge. It’s called the #3HugsADay Challenge. If you are reading this consider yourself a charter member of the challenge and officially nominated. Here’s your challenge:
- Give 3 Hugs a Day for 3 Days (yes, of course you can keep going!)
- Communicate on social media, through video or a simple plain text message that you have been nominated to participate in the #3HugsADay Challenge. Thank the person who nominated you and nominate 3 of your friends.
- Make a donation to ALS or a charity that speaks to YOUR heart in honour of your participation in the #3HugsADay challenge.
Let’s spread the love, for what we give, we naturally receive in return.
Here are the links to make a donation to the ALS Association:
In Canada – http://www.als.ca/en/donate
In the USA – https://secure2.convio.net/alsa/site/Donation2?df_id=27420&27420.donation=form1