According to a Washington-based nonprofit organization - ALS Association - that funds global research to find treatments and a cure for the disease - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - it has received up to $41.8 million in donations from July 29 until August 21.
The
group also says more than 739,000 new donors have given money to the
association which is more than double the $19.4 million in total
contributions the association received during the year that ended Jan.
31, 2013, according to a filing with the Internal Revenue Service.
Latest reports prove that close to 30,000 Americans now have A.L.S. The disease attacks nerve cells and ultimately leads to total paralysis, though the mind remains sharp.
Life
expectancy is typically two to five years from the time of diagnosis.
The exact cause has not yet been understood and there is no cure or
treatment that stops or reverses the disease.
According to the ALS Association, One Food and Drug Administration-approved drug slows its progression, and other drugs are in currently clinical trials.
With everyone from former US President George W. Bush to Nollywood actress Genevieve Nnaji and singers Justin Bieber and Ice Prince Zamani, posting online videos of themselves throwing buckets of ice over their heads in the name of charity, the viral "#IceBucketChallenge"
has continued to dominate social media and is now raising millions of
US dollars for the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
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