CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Former Boston College baseball captain Pete Frates became the face of a life-altering disease in August 2014. Not only did he help bring in millions of dollars for much-needed research for ALS, he inspired people across the globe – patients, families, caregivers and doctors alike – to stop at nothing for what you believe in. The Beverly, Mass., native and BC outfielder will be honored at the NCAA Honors Celebration in January with the NCAA Inspiration Award.
It seems as if the NCAA Inspiration Award was made for Frates. It is presented to “a coach or administrator currently associated with intercollegiate athletics, or to a current or former varsity letter-winner at an NCAA institution who, when confronted with a life-altering situation used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome the event and most importantly, now serves as a role model to give hope and inspiration to others in similar situations.”
Frates was diagnosed with ALS in March 2012. Commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS disturbs the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The effects impede the capability of the brain to start and regulate muscle movement. Without the ability to perform voluntary muscle action, the body becomes induced into total paralysis over a length of time. Most people diagnosed with ALS are given two to five years to live.
When Frates was confronted with his bleak diagnosis at the age of 27, he faced it head on and decided, while he was in for the fight of his life, he also going to fight to find a cure for ALS.
Today, he cannot breathe without a ventilator and he relies on eye-tracking technology and an iPad to communicate. Confided to a wheelchair, he cannot travel to the places he once went, including road trips with the Boston College baseball team. He has not let any of that stop him. His determination and perseverance has allowed him to continue his mission to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for ALS, a disease that since Lou Gehrig’s diagnosis 75 years ago, had barely had any advancement.
Frates called his ALS diagnosis an opportunity.
“I am 27 years old, I am in great shape. I am healthy. People will listen to my story. This is now my team. I am going to be game changer for this disease,” he told head baseball coach Mike Gambino. That may give you goosebumps knowing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge had yet to occur.
Frates saw an opportunity to create a massive awareness campaign that was easy, fun and could take social media by storm. And, as we all know, that is just what happened. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $220 million for ALS Association in the summer of 2014 and countless more for other charities and individual funds. The disease became common and Pete Frates became a household name.
Gambino spoke about hosting the Fifth Annual ALS Awareness Game, a now yearly event the BC baseball team holds one of the last conference weekends of the season in honor of Frates.
“Pete gave us the directive: Find a cure. Our goal is to get to a day when we don’t have any more ALS games. When our kids talk about ALS the way we talk about Polio.”
It is more than clear the contributions Frates has made to furthering ALS awareness and research. Like he said he would, he gave ALS a story and a face. He made the disease – one most people only associated with a famous deceased ballplayer – a household name. He also gave thousands of patients and families hope. His family, particularly his mother Nancy, travel the world speaking about ALS, the Ice Bucket Challenge and what is next. Patients and families of patients reach out to the Frates family looking for support and guidance.
On top of all that, Frates showed that quitting is not an option. That when you are staring a death sentence in the face you can get up and fight. And make a difference.
On May 7, 2016, Frates’ former team retired his now famous No. 3 on the field he played for four years in Chestnut Hill, Mass. When asked about how the current players felt, most could not put it into words. They say the play every day for Frates. When they have a good game, they are excited to get on the phone and share it with him. When they have a bad game, not only do they look to him for encouragement but they remember that his battle is much bigger than theirs and if he can pick himself up, so can they.
There is no amount of value that can be put on what Frates did – and continues to do. He changed a disease. He gave patients and families hope. He brought funding to a completely underfunded disease. Aside from all that, and most importantly, he continues to inspire. He gets out of bed every day to face the world head on.
BC graduate and national sports writer Mike Lupica wrote about Frates in the fall of 2014. When he asked Pete what it feels like to be at the front of a movement that everyone was involved with and will eventually change the world, Frates’ response was, “Hungry. I will not be satisfied until we see this thing through. Incredibly thankful. Restored faith in God. I know why I am here.”
