When Nancy Frates learned that the US Food and Medicine Administration had authorized a promising new drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the devastating motor neuron disease that killed her son Pete, she felt both joy and sorrow.
Frates told Insider, “I was quite delighted, but I also had conflicting emotions.” She continued, “I only wish it had been accessible in time for my son.”
The 64-year-old said it comforted her to know that Pete, one of two guys widely recognized with popularizing the Ice Bucket Challenge — the viral stunt that generated over $220 million for organizations such as The ALS Association — had played a significant role in the accomplishment.
Scientists were able to create the medication in part because they received a portion of the funds raised by the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Frates stated that she would have done anything to extend her son’s life.
The FDA authorized the Relyvrio medication on September 29 after reviewing the results of a clinical trial. The research of 137 ALS patients revealed that those who received the medicine saw “a slower pace of decline” than those who took a placebo.
The drug’s manufacturer, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, claims it could extend the lives of ALS patients by five to six months or more.
Frates told Insider that she would have given anything, even a brief length of time, for Pete to have lived longer.
Frates stated, “I would have loved to have kept him with me for another 10 to 12 months.”
In a black T-shirt and white shorts, Nancy Frates and the rest of her family attended a series of fundraising events and award ceremonies.
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Frates stated that she and her husband, Jim, were present when Pete was given his diagnosis. He was 27.
In 2012, Frates remarked of his appointment to his neurologist, “We had no idea what we were going to hear.” She stated that her son, a former captain of the Boston College baseball team, had only mentioned wrist pain.
She stated that she “didn’t know what it was” when she learned that her kid had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“Like any parent would, I asked the physician, ‘What should we do now?'” Frates stated.
“He stated, ‘I regret to inform you, but we have made almost no progress in the fight against this sickness. There is neither a therapy nor a cure. And the prognosis is between three and five years'”
Pete Frates lost no time in soliciting funds for ALS research.
She stated that her son never took a breath. He quickly convened a family conference with his parents, two siblings, and Julie, his then-girlfriend, whom he would marry the next year.
“Pete stated, ‘There will be no moping or whining, and we’ll get to work'” Frates stated.
Before Pete Frates became ill, his mother, Nancy Frates, described him as a “servant leader.”
Thanks to Nancy Frates
Pete had gone online and compared his symptoms, such as acute tiredness and muscle stiffness, to those of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was astounded at the dearth of financing for disease research and the lack of public awareness.
“He responded, ‘It’s intolerable,'” Frates added. Then he stated, “We are going to alter the course of this sickness.”
She claimed that he never acted out of self-interest. “It was about how we could collaborate so that no other family would have to go through this,” said Frates, adding that her son had always been a “servant leader.”
Pete then used a computer that responded to his eye motions to communicate.
Frates stated that her kid “never melted down.”
“He had a very spiritual side, and he didn’t want us to break,” she continued. He believed it was the reason he had been placed on earth.
Within two and a half years of his diagnosis, Pete became paralyzed and nonverbal; he utilized eye-tracking software to type on his laptop. However, he continued his attempts to raise awareness.
Frates stated, “He suggested that if you could convince people to open their hearts to us, you could educate them about this condition, and they would open their wallets.”
The Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $220 million worldwide for ALS causes.
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Internet-wide promotion of Pete’s fundraising and advocacy activity. Pete was aware that he represented a new demographic, according to Frates. “He wanted to demonstrate that it does not matter how much money you have, where you live, how old you are, or how much love you have.
“He would answer, ‘It doesn’t matter. This illness triumphs. And we’re going to change it'”
Pete and his friend Pat Quinn, a 30-year-old New Yorker with ALS, recognized the potential of the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014, according to Frates. A few local US charities had already attempted the fundraising prank, in which someone drops cold water over their head or convinces another person to do it for them.
Frates stated that her son ‘put us on the path’ to finding an effective therapy for ALS, and possibly a cure.
According to Frates, Quinn and her son took the notion global to benefit The ALS Association. Their artistic social media campaign, according to Frates, has “taken control” They knew this was the end.
Clips of people performing the challenge went viral. Globally, 17 million individuals were believed to have participated. Kim Kardashian, Dolly Parton, and Steven Spielberg were depicted getting wet. Pete received the most enjoyment out of seeing the video of Bill Gates, according to Frates.
Pete told us, ‘I’m going to bring this sickness to the attention of donors like Bill Gates,'” Frates explained. “And he did.”
Pete, who died in 2019 at the age of 34, was aware of the scientific advancements funded by the Ice Bucket Challenge, according to Frates. “The physicians would update him,” she added, adding, “He witnessed ALS-related events while he was alive.”
She continued, “When there was no way before, he put us on it and pointed us in the appropriate direction.
Lucy Frates, daughter of Pete and Julie Frates, is on the left.
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She stated that if her son were still alive, he would have been “delighted” by the approval of Relyvrio and would have signed the paperwork “immediately” in order to receive the new medicine.
“He would have viewed it as another step in the right direction before returning to work,” Frates said.
Frates stated that she saw Pete anytime she looked at Lucy, his 8-year-old daughter. She said, “It’s almost as though her father lives inside of her.”
In the future, Pete’s family will continue their attempts to find a cure for ALS, according to Frates.
She stated, “I am blessed and honored to be Pete Frates’ mother.” I believe I was selected for that.