People take the ice bucket challenge during the last "Plunge for Pete" event on what would have been Pete Frates' 35th birthday, at Good Harbor in Gloucester, Mass., Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019. Hundreds of people plunged into the chilly ocean at the Massachusetts beach on Saturday to honor Peter Frates, the former college baseball player whose battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped spread the ALS ice bucket challenge. (John Blanding/The Boston Globe via AP)
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GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) - Hundreds of people plunged into the chilly ocean at a Massachusetts beach on Saturday to honor Peter Frates, the former college baseball player whose battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped spread the ALS ice bucket challenge.
About 1,000 people showed up for the final 'œPlunge for Pete'ť at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester, and more than half of those braved the frigid waters on what would have been Frates' 35th birthday.
The event, in its eighth year, raised money for the Pete Frates #3 Fund, which helped pay for Frates' medical bills.
'œHe is laughing so hard right now at me getting into the ocean,'ť said Frates' wife, Julie, who participated in the plunge for the first time wearing the bikini she had on when she first met her husband. 'œThis is the best birthday party he could ask for and wherever he is, he is very grateful.'ť
The former Boston College baseball player, who lived in Beverly, a suburb north of Boston, died Dec. 9 after a seven-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The family has accumulated roughly $500,000 in debt for their son's medical care, Pete's father, John Frates said, and the final fundraiser will hopefully help close the gap.
The family will continue to raise money for the separate Peter Frates Family Foundation, which helps other ALS patients cover home health care costs, he said.
The number of people who signed up to take the actual plunge far exceeded the peak of 250 participants who participated in 2014, the year the ice bucket challenge went viral and raised more than $200 million for ALS research worldwide.
The ice bucket challenge involved pouring a bucket of ice water over one's head and posting a video of it on social media, and then challenging others to do the same or make a donation to charity. Most people did both.
The challenge began in 2014 when pro golfer Chris Kennedy challenged his wife's cousin Jeanette Senerchia, whose husband has ALS. Patient Pat Quinn, of Yonkers, New York, picked up on it and started its spread, but when Frates and his family got involved, the phenomenon exploded on social media.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis because of the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cure.
Pete Frates' widow, Julie, center, runs straight into Good Harbor in Gloucester, Mass., during the last "Plunge for Pete" event on what would have been Pete Frates' 35th birthday Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019. Hundreds of people plunged into the chilly ocean at the Massachusetts beach on Saturday to honor Peter Frates, the former college baseball player whose battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped spread the ALS ice bucket challenge. (John Blanding/The Boston Globe via AP)
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FILE - In this Dec. 28, 2014, file photo, Julie and Pete Frates smile on the sideline at Gillette Stadium during a birthday ceremony for Pete at an NFL football game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills in Foxborough, Mass. Pete Frates died on Dec. 9, 2019. Supporters are taking one last chilly fundraising plunge on Saturday, Dec. 28, to raise funds to help cover medical bills for the man who inspired the ALS ice bucket challenge. Julie Frates said she will be participating in plunge for the first time. Saturday would have been his 35th birthday. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
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FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2017 photo, Pete Frates, who is stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, listens to a guest at Fenway Park in Boston. Frates, a former college baseball player whose determined battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped inspire the ALS ice bucket challenge that has raised more than $200 million worldwide, died Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. He was 34. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
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A man carries a program during a funeral mass for Pete Frates at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish church at Boston College in Boston, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. Frates, a former college baseball player whose determined battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped inspire the ALS ice bucket challenge that has raised more than $200 million worldwide. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
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Pallbearers escort the casket of Pete Frates, draped in a flag bearing his name, following a funeral mass at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish church at Boston College in Boston, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. Frates, a former college baseball player whose determined battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped inspire the ALS ice bucket challenge that has raised more than $200 million worldwide. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
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John Frates Jr., accompanied by Jennifer Mayo and Andrew Frates, delivers the eulogy during a funeral mass for his son Pete Frates at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish church at Boston College in Boston, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. Frates, a former college baseball player whose determined battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped inspire the ALS ice bucket challenge that has raised more than $200 million worldwide. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
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The procession departs a funeral mass for Pete Frates at St. Ignatius Church in Chestnut Hill, Mass. on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. Frates, a former college baseball player whose determined battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped inspire the ALS ice bucket challenge that has raised more than $200 million worldwide. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
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Friends and family arrive for a funeral mass for Pete Frates at St. Ignatius Church in Chestnut Hill, Mass. on Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. Frates, a former college baseball player whose determined battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped inspire the ALS ice bucket challenge that has raised more than $200 million worldwide. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
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The procession follows the casket of Pete Frates, draped in a flag bearing his name, during a funeral mass at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish church at Boston College in Boston, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. Frates, a former college baseball player whose determined battle with Lou Gehrig's disease helped inspire the ALS ice bucket challenge that has raised more than $200 million worldwide. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
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FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2017, file photo, Pete Frates, right, who inspired the ice bucket challenge, looks at his wife Julie during a ceremony at City Hall in Boston by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh declaring the day the Pete Frates Day. Frates, who was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, died Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. He was 34. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes, File)
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FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2014 file photo, Major League Baseball Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred participates in the ALS Ice-Bucket Challenge outside the organization's headquarters in New York. Pete Frates, who was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and inspired the Ice Bucket Challege, died Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. He was 34. (AP Photo/Vanessa A. Alvarez, File)
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