Mayor Ramsey English Cantu accepts ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Ice Bucket Challenge
By: Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2014, Eagle Pass Business Journal
Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu accepted the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Ice Bucket challenge from local Zumba instructor Lisa Cain on Monday, August 18, 2014, at City Hall.
Mayor Cantu challenged other local public officials to take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, including Mayor Pro-Tem Luis E. Sifuentes, Councilwoman Gloria E. Hernandez, Councilman Rudy Villalpando, and Councilman William Davis.
“ I further challenge Mayor San Juanita Sanchez from the City of San Juan, Texas, Mayor Adrian De Leon of Carrizo Springs, Texas, Mayor Ricardo Lopez of Crystal City, Texas and Mayor Robert Garza of Del Rio, Texas. I also didn’t forget about our United States Congressman Pete P. Gallego, Texas Senator Carlos I. Uresti, and State Representative Poncho Nevarez,” said Mayor Cantu.
Mayor Cantu gathered his mental focus and signaled his readiness to proceed with the shivering ice cold water bucket challenge. Mayor Cantu stated that “the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a noble cause to raise funds for Americans afflicted with this deadly disease.”
Eagle Pass Municipal Court Judge Francisco Martinez did the honors of unleashing the Arctic cold, iced water bucket over Mayor Cantu’s head. Mayor Cantu stood tall and still as Judge Martinez poured the Ice Bucket over his head and body. City employees applauded Mayor Cantu for his courage and philanthropic spirit.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is done to bring awareness and to raise funds for Amyotrophic lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body.
The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to the person’s death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.
Currently, there is no cure for the life taking disease. Approximately 5,600 persons in the United States are diagnosed with ALS each year. The incidence of ALS is two per 100,000 persons, and it is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans may have the disease at any given time.
From July 2014 through August 16, 2014, the ALS Association reported donations have surpassed an astonishing $10 million dollars compared to $1.12 million during the same time period last year.
The ALS Association is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from those people who have been doused, made a donation, or both in support of the ALS Association’s mission to find a cure for ALS while funding the highest quality of care for people living with the disease.
“We have never seen anything like this in the history of the disease,” said Barbara Newhouse, President and CEO of The ALS Association. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the level of compassion, generosity and sense of humor that people are exhibiting as they take part in this impactful viral initiative.”
With only about half of the general public knowledgeable about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, the Ice Bucket Challenge is making a profound difference. Since July 29, The Association has welcomed more than 70,000 new donors to the cause.
“While the monetary donations are absolutely incredible,” said Newhouse, “the visibility that this disease is getting as a result of the challenge is truly invaluable. People who have never before heard of ALS are now engaged in the fight to find treatments and a cure for ALS.”
Currently, there is only one drug (Riluzole) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat ALS, which only modestly extends survival by two to three months. Consequently, ALS is 100 percent fatal. In addition to acclimating to the challenges that come with losing control of voluntary muscle movement, people with the disease progressively lose their ability to eat, speak, walk, and eventually breathe.
Although the cause of ALS is not completely understood, the recent years have brought a wealth of new scientific understanding regarding the physiology of this disease.
The medical community and researchers continue to fight for the advancement in understanding and development of clinical drugs for the treatment of ALS. There are several drugs currently in clinical trials that hold promise in achieving such goals.
There are significant devices and therapies that can manage the symptoms of ALS that help people maintain as much independence as possible and prolong survival. It is important to remember that ALS is a quite variable disease; no two people will have the same journey or experiences. There are medically documented cases of people in whom ALS ‘burns out,’ stops progressing or progresses at a very slow rate. No matter what your individual course or situation may be, The ALS Association and your medical team are here to help.
To donate to the ALS Association you can go to the ALS Association, www.alsa.org/donate/ website to inquire on the many ways to donate.
