Co-founder of “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge” drowns at age 27

[LloydS of New London]

Source: Salon

Wednesday, Aug 20, 2014 01:40 EDT

Philanthropist Corey Griffin died on Aug. 16 at the age of 27. Griffin helped co-found the viral “ALS Ice Bucket Challenge,” which has swept across the world this summer. The young man began actively raising money to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after his friend Pete Frates was diagnosed, the Boston Globe reported.

“Helping out was nothing new for Griff,” Frates wrote on Facebook, the Independent reported. “He held his own event for me back in 2012, just a few months after diagnosis. He worked his butt off these last few weeks for ALS. We texted everyday, planning and scheming ways to raise funds and plan events.”

Griffin drowned off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, in a diving accident. At 2:00 a.m. he dove from the top of Juice Guys — a popular diving spot for locals, located on the Straight Wharf. He apparently surfaced once, but was then pulled under by the waves.

Earlier that night, the Independent stated, the 27-year-old helped raised $100,000 at a fundraiser for ALS.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2014/08/20/co_founder_of_als_ice_bucket_challenge_drowns_at_age_27/

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shit

[underpants]

1. Well that's ironic

[In_The_Wind]

2. Yup

[Fearless]

10. It's not irony

It would be ironic had ALS awareness gone down from doing the challenge or had no one ever watched the video.

i·ro·ny1
ˈīrənē,ˈiərnē/
noun
noun: irony

1. a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.

[hlthe2b]

3. Only the good die young?

Impossible to fathom, beyond the cruelest of ironies.

[Cooley Hurd]

4. Ironic deaths are beyond sad...

...some might find humor it it (like the co-inventor of the jogging craze dying while jogging), but I don't.

[Skink]

5. There are only two catagories for cliff diving

Grand champion and stuff on a rock

[littlemissmartypants]

6. Tragic. eom

[cleduc]

7. $31.5 Million in Donations to The ALS Association

http://www.alsa.org/news/media/press-releases/ice-bucket-challenge-082014.html

Washington, D.C. (August 20, 2014) — As of Wednesday, August 20, The ALS Association has received $31.5 million in donations compared to $1.9 million during the same time period last year (July 29 to August 20). These donations have come from existing donors and 637,527 new donors to The Association.

amazing

[Chan790]

8. I'm usually skeptical of these kinds of charitable moneybomb initiatives.

As someone who has experience in fundraising, I know that they can easily create a pool of funds that is spent unwisely because of its size and because it came all at once, then dries up and no progress is made. $31,500,000 for ALS is going to make a difference--while a cure is not close, significant progress has been made with antiglutamate drugs in the treatment of ALS, with one (Riluzole) being approved. Identification of another effective antiglutamate treatment could easily double the life expectancy of ALS patients and triple the length those patients remain in their highest-functioning state.

This is really a sad loss, Corey Griffin is going to change the face of treatment of one of the worst diseases in the world and he didn't even live to see it.

[cleduc]

9. The thing that blew me away is

They've raised $30 mil more than last year in only three weeks.

I'm sure it will peter out but it's still seems to going strong. My daughter went to a special local event last night with a change of clothes to do it. It seems to still be growing.

Very, very sad about Cory. But when folks find out, that may give it a big boost. When Terry Fox had to stop his run for cancer because he'd developed lung cancer, it triggered more publicity and an enormous boost to his cause.

It wouldn't shock me if they hit $60-$100 mil with this amazing effort.

It is a horrific disease. Hopefully, this money will deliver some meaningful treatment.