Dec 28, 2019 - Sports

The last fundraising event for man who inspired ice bucket challenge

Rashaan Ayesh

Pete Frates with his his mother Nancy and Father John — Photo: Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Baseball player Pete Frates' family and supporters will be holding one last "Plunge for Pete" on Saturday in Boston, the AP reports.

Why this matters: Frates' battle with Lou Gehrig's disease inspired the ALS ice bucket challenge. Frates died earlier this month after a seven-year battle. He would have been 35 on Saturday.

This is the event's 8th year, and it helps raise money for the Pete Frates #3 Fund, which is used to pay for Frates' medical bills, AP writes.
His father said the family has about $500,000 in debt from Pete's medical care and that this last fundraiser will hopefully close that gap.
The family plans to keep raising money for ALS for the separate Pete Frates Family Foundation, which helps other ALS patients with home health care costs, according to AP.

Go deeper: ALS patients plan to protest to push for approval of new therapies

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The last fundraising event for man who inspired ice bucket challenge

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