The 29-year-old man who inspired the world to raise millions of dollars for ALS research through the Ice Bucket Challenge now faces a different kind of challenge: parenthood.
Pete Frates and wife Julie Frates welcomed the birth of a 3.4kg baby girl named Lucy Fitzgerald Frates on Sunday morning, according to Boston television station WCVB.
The new parents made the announcement on their Facebook page.
]]>Pete Frates is an athlete from Massachusetts who has devoted his life to raising awareness about ALS after he was diagnosed with the disease in 2012. Frates inspired the now-viral Ice Bucket Challenge when he dared several of his friends to do it earlier this year, WCVB reported. The campaign soon gained traction on social media, and thousands of people - including dozens of celebrities, including Olivia Wilde, and at least one foul-mouthed little girl - have taken the challenge, and donated to the cause.
Pete Frates lost mobility in his arms and legs due to ALS, and in July, he used an eye-tracking device to write a column for the Bleacher Report detailing his fight against the disease. In the story, Frates mentioned the upcoming birth of his child.
"My wife and I are also expecting a baby in September. It is this excitement that keeps my engines going at full strength. The thought of seeing the face of our first child and knowing that I am a father is a moment I will cherish beyond words.
"I may not be able to say "I love you" with my own voice, but the love I will feel will be every bit as strong. I may not know how many years I have left, but I will fight harder and harder each day to be there as a father and a husband."
ALS is an incurable disease that affects between 12,000 and 15,000 people in the U.S.,according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a federal public health agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services. The average life expectancy for patients diagnosed with ALS is about two to five years from the time of diagnosis, according to the ALS Association.
The association announced on Friday that the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised more than US$100 million for ALS research since it began.
]]>This article first appeared on Mashable.
