Conan O’Brien is amongst the many famous faces taking on The ALS Association’s Ice Bucket Challenge.
The Ice Bucket Challenge was set up by the organization to raise awareness to the disease, also commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and encourage donations to the research.
The mission of the Association is to find a cure and provide a better quality life for those suffering from ALS. Celebrities like Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon have participated and it was O’Brien's turn to take on the challenge on Aug. 14.
O’Brien teased the ALS Association would give him money if he dumped water over himself, revealing he used plastic ice and warm water. However, one of his talk show staffers pulled out the real ice bucket instead, soaking O’Brien for the second time. Check out the video of O’Brien’s ice bucket challenge below.
According to the ALS Association, the Ice Bucket Challenge was able to raise $4 million between July 29 and Aug. 12. The donations are still growing as many are continuing to help spread awareness to their cause.
"We have never seen anything like this in the history of the disease,” Barbara Newhouse, president and CEO of The ALS Association, said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the level of compassion, generosity and sense of humor that people are exhibiting as they take part in this impactful viral initiative."
"While the monetary donations are absolutely incredible,” Newhouse added, “the visibility that this disease is getting as a result of the challenge is truly invaluable. People who have never before heard of ALS are now engaged in the fight to find treatments and a cure for ALS."
ALS is a fatal disease, as those suffering will eventually lose the ability to use voluntary muscle movement. People progressively lose their ability to eat, speak, walk, and breathe. Read more about the disease and the ALS Association here.
