Patrick Quinn, Who Planned the 'Ice Bucket Challenge,' Passes Away After 7 Years Battling Lou Gehrig's Disease

Relay Donation Campaign Started in 2014 Raises 245 Billion KRW

'Ice Bucket Challenge' co-planner Patrick Quinn (Photo by ALS Association)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Patrick Quinn, known as the co-creator of the 2014 relay donation campaign 'Ice Bucket Challenge' to help patients with Lou Gehrig's disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS), passed away on the 22nd (local time) at the age of 37.

The ALS Association announced through social networking services (SNS) on the same day that Quinn, co-creator of the Ice Bucket Challenge, died after battling Lou Gehrig's disease for over seven years. Quinn, originally from New York, was diagnosed with ALS in March 2013 and had been living with the disease since then.

The 'Ice Bucket Challenge' is a donation campaign to help patients with Lou Gehrig's disease that created a worldwide sensation. The campaign works by having a person douse themselves with ice water and then nominate three others to participate; the nominees must either take an ice water shower or donate to ALS-related causes within 24 hours.

Started in 2014, the campaign became globally famous when friends of Pete Frates, a former Boston University baseball player who had to give up his dreams due to ALS, posted videos of themselves taking ice water showers to share his pain. Foreign media reported that the funds raised through this campaign exceeded $220 million (approximately 245 billion KRW).

Quinn was also nominated for Time magazine's 'Person of the Year' along with Pete Frates, who co-created the Ice Bucket Challenge, according to foreign media. The ALS Association stated, "He was the person who worked hardest to popularize the campaign," adding, "The Ice Bucket Challenge empowered efforts to fight Lou Gehrig's disease, leading to new research and development, expanded support for ALS patients, and increased government investment."

Lou Gehrig's disease is a rare neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons necessary for muscle movement are destroyed, causing muscle atrophy and paralysis throughout the body, including the tongue, neck, and limbs. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that 12,000 to 15,000 people in the United States suffer from this disease.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.