We have all seen and or participated in the ALS Bucket Challenge over the past few weeks and am sure some of you are tired of hearing about it, reading about it and watching your friends videos and so on.
Meet Carbajal. Carbajal has ALS as does his mother and grandmother. The video below begins humorously as Carbajal, dresses up in a neon bikini top and soaps up a car before being doused with ice water. “OK, that was probably the most embarrassing thing that I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
The clip, at one point doestakes a somber turn as Carbajal explains why he chose to take the challenge. “I’ve been so terrified of ALS my entire life because it runs in my family,” he says, breaking down. “My grandmother had it. She was a second mother to me. My mother was diagnosed when I was in high school and five months ago, I was diagnosed at 26 years old. ALS is so, so f—king scary, you have no idea.”
Carbajal says he’s already started losing movement in his fingers. Eventually, just like other ALS patients, he will lose the ability to walk, talk, eat and breathe on his own.
We need to keep this discussion alive, says Carbajal, so pharmaceutical companies and others will continue to be pushed to find a cure for this fatal disease. According to the ALS Association, more than $31 million has been raised so far for ALS research and patient care thanks to the ice bucket challenge.
“This is the first successful advocacy [ALS has] ever really… had and I’m so, so, so grateful,” he said. “You have no idea how every single challenge makes me feel, lifts my spirits, lifts every single ALS patient’s spirits. You’re really, truly making a difference.”
In Carbajal’s video, there’s a suggestion made that viewers should watch all the way to the end. We encourage you to as well.
Carbajal, you have a beautiful spirit. You are in our thoughts and prayers. We MUST find a cure, and medication to help people with ALS! The bucket challenge has brought awareness to many and we hope it continues.
You can donate here.
