ESPN’s Father’s Day Segment About ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Creator, Pete Frates, Is Nothing Short Of Inspiring

Pete Frates, universally credited as the creator and inspiration behind the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon, has been battling the crippling neurodegenerative disease since his diagnosis back in March of 2012. He was just 27 years old.

Since the damning diagnosis, the former Boston College baseball captain has helped raise over $100 million for ALS, married his beautiful wife, and has become a father to his damn cute daughter, Lucy. Not too shabby for a guy whose disease has deemed him paralyzed and stripped him of the ability to speak.

In lieu of Pete’s first Father’s Day with his daughter, Lucy, ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi caught up with the Frate’s family in a segment that aired this morning on SportsCenter. Rinaldi speaks with Pete’s father, John, about his special bond with his son after he left his job as a financial planner to provide around-the-clock assistance to Pete. He also interviews Pete’s wife, Julie, who praises him for being a model husband and father in the face of such an ugly disease.

Watch the emotional segment below.


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Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.