ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Sweeps Internet, But Where Did It Originate?
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Unless you've been living under a rock, you've seen the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge sweep the internet, prompting millions of people from Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy to Derek Jeter to dump water on themselves for charity.
But just how did the challenge get started?
As WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported, it got its start among golfers as a way to support pet charities. Pro Chris Kennedy challenged his cousin Jeanette Senerchia, of Pelham, whose husband Anthony suffers from ALS.
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Sweeps Internet, But Where Did It Originate?
"And I wrote him back, and I was like, 'Are you joking? I really need to do this? How about if I just donate the money?' And they said, 'No, just do it. It'll be fun,'" Senerchia said.
Senerchia then nominated some of her friends. The rest is history.
"We know the power of social media, but this is something never seen or heard of before," Senerchia said.
Senerchia says that although the trend might be getting annoying, it is exactly what they hoped for.
"I know people are tired of seeing them, I get it. But I think at the end of the day, if you know somebody or have a family member who has been affected by ALS, it wouldn't be so exhausting to watch these videos," she said.
Senerchia's dream is to have her husband see their young daughter grow up. The challenge, she says, has taken them a huge step forward toward a cure.
Senerchia's husband has suffered from ALS for the past 11 years, 1010 WINS' Kevin Rincon reported.
Pelham Woman Claims She Was First To Be Nominated In Ice Bucket Challenge
"I think when you have something like this, and you live with someone that is challenged every single day by this, you know you just hope maybe there will be some sort of break," Senerchia said.
On Thursday, Senerchia and her husband will join the ALS Foundation to ring the opening bell of the NASDAQ.
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