While everyone knows of the Ice Bucket Challenge, the viral craze that swept the nation in summer 2014, too few know the truly inspirational story behind it. Pete Frates was a man at war with his own body. A man whose love for others was unshakable. A man who refused to fight alone, and in so doing mobilized a global army to combat one of the most devastating diseases on earth: ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. When disease crippled Frates, the former Boston College baseball star turned tragedy into inspiration. Pete’s story is a testament to the power of love, the steadfastness of family, the generosity of strangers, and the compassion of crowds. Half of the authors’ proceeds will go to the Frates family.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Ray Bourque • Prologue • The Batter’s Box • Warning Signs • Boston, 1975 • One in Ten Thousand • Fearless • New Heights • Birdball • The Diagnosis • Mobilizing an Army • New York, 1939 • The Stats Geek • Heroes Emerge • Together for Life • Back to the Dugout • Team Frate Train • The Ice Bucket Challenge • The Long Run • The Great Flood • Inspiration • Acknowledgments