in the words of my friend
— Pete Frates (@PeteFrates3) July 3, 2017
ed pic.twitter.com/g7iIR4rfmT
July 3 (UPI) -- The man who inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge a few years ago is back in the hospital, his family said.
Pete Frates was hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital over the weekend, his mother, Nancy Frates wrote on her social media pages.
Monday morning, Pete Frates himself posted a video tweet that showed him in a hospital bed with audio from the 1991 Pearl Jam song "Alive," at the chorus of, "I'm still alive."
Pete Frates, 32, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2012, was an inspiration for the Ice Bucket Challenge -- in which people pour a bucket of ice over their head -- that raised millions of dollars for ALS research.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal motor neuron disease that weakens the body through the decaying of neurons that control muscles.
"I HATE ALS! Back at MGH. Prayers for Pete," Nancy Frates tweeted Friday.
"Lots of thoughts & prayers being felt. He's battling the Beast with all he's got," father John Frates told the Boston Herald.
Pete Frates became the face of the bucket challenge in 2014, which raised more than $100 million over a two-month span -- $77 million of which was designated for research. The campaign gained substantial traction online and led to participation by a number of celebrities, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and NBA star Lebron James.
