I'm all for donating to good causes and doing all we can to find potential cures for a number of debilitating and/or deadly illnesses, however, I also don't think it makes a whole lot of sense to risk many people's lives in a Jacka*s- type of stunt in order to do so.
Of course, I'm referring to the Ice Bucket (Water) Challenge, where willing participants have to either donate money to the ALS cause (or other causes) within a certain duration of time or have a bucket of ice cold water dumped over their head. Many people have decided to both donate and have the bucket of water dumped on them, and to the cause's credit, it has raised over $15 million for ALS research.
However, while rare, at least one fatality has been linked to this challenge, and former neonatal pediatrician Dr. Stephen Wealthall hopes it comes to a halt before anyone else dies.
On July 7th of this year, Willis Tepania (40) died after going into cardiac arrest after having water poured over his head for the challenge.
With regard to the incident, Dr. Wealthall, who has studied how sudden exposure of cold water to the head and face affects people, said, "The throwing of cold water unexpectedly over the face and head is an extreme danger."
He added:
"It invoked the airway protective reflex which closed the larynx, slowing the heart rate and causing a person to stop breathing. There is a chance that some people will react very badly and that someone will die, and it might not be immediately. In most cases normal breathing resumed when the person re-emerged from the water but in rare situations it could cause an 'inappropriate' reflex, known as the 'diving reflex.' It might set up a stage where someone who already has rotten coronary arteries is short of oxygen, and a lot of heart attacks happen gradually and they don't necessarily have pain."
As Dr. Wealthall stated, "unexpected cold water on the face and head engages in the airway protective reflex," which temporarily stops breathing. Not only that, but this challenge has been linked with heavy drinking, which can further increase the risk of the participants.
Like I said at the outset, I'm all for donating to good causes and helping raise awareness about said causes. I, for one, have battled epilepsy pretty much since birth. However, I'd never want for a person to potentially risk his or her life in order to help raise money or awareness for further research of the condition. Why can't we find a safer way to spread word about such illnesses and raise money in the process for them? At the very least, why can't we have a process which helps to safeguard those with particular health conditions from participating in challenges like this one? It's quite incredible at the level of awareness (and money) this "challenge" has brought forth to the ALS cause. However, I just wonder how many injuries and/or deaths have to take place before we all step back and think, "Maybe there's a better way we could be going about this." Sure, I'd run out in the middle of the street and push a child out of the way of a moving vehicle to save his or her life and risk my own. However, I wouldn't just stand on that side of the street, risk my life in the process, and when a car got close, mumble to myself, "I bet he'll move first." The former is risky but heroic. The latter is risky and foolish.
Whether or not you do take the ice-bucket challenge, you may read more about ALS, spread word about it, and donate to the cause at the following link: http://www.alsa.org/donate/
For those that insist on taking the ice-bucket challenge, please make certain you're healthy, don't drink alcohol in excess, and are extremely careful during the process.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11294023
Of course, I'm referring to the Ice Bucket (Water) Challenge, where willing participants have to either donate money to the ALS cause (or other causes) within a certain duration of time or have a bucket of ice cold water dumped over their head. Many people have decided to both donate and have the bucket of water dumped on them, and to the cause's credit, it has raised over $15 million for ALS research.
However, while rare, at least one fatality has been linked to this challenge, and former neonatal pediatrician Dr. Stephen Wealthall hopes it comes to a halt before anyone else dies.
On July 7th of this year, Willis Tepania (40) died after going into cardiac arrest after having water poured over his head for the challenge.
With regard to the incident, Dr. Wealthall, who has studied how sudden exposure of cold water to the head and face affects people, said, "The throwing of cold water unexpectedly over the face and head is an extreme danger."
He added:
"It invoked the airway protective reflex which closed the larynx, slowing the heart rate and causing a person to stop breathing. There is a chance that some people will react very badly and that someone will die, and it might not be immediately. In most cases normal breathing resumed when the person re-emerged from the water but in rare situations it could cause an 'inappropriate' reflex, known as the 'diving reflex.' It might set up a stage where someone who already has rotten coronary arteries is short of oxygen, and a lot of heart attacks happen gradually and they don't necessarily have pain."
As Dr. Wealthall stated, "unexpected cold water on the face and head engages in the airway protective reflex," which temporarily stops breathing. Not only that, but this challenge has been linked with heavy drinking, which can further increase the risk of the participants.
Like I said at the outset, I'm all for donating to good causes and helping raise awareness about said causes. I, for one, have battled epilepsy pretty much since birth. However, I'd never want for a person to potentially risk his or her life in order to help raise money or awareness for further research of the condition. Why can't we find a safer way to spread word about such illnesses and raise money in the process for them? At the very least, why can't we have a process which helps to safeguard those with particular health conditions from participating in challenges like this one? It's quite incredible at the level of awareness (and money) this "challenge" has brought forth to the ALS cause. However, I just wonder how many injuries and/or deaths have to take place before we all step back and think, "Maybe there's a better way we could be going about this." Sure, I'd run out in the middle of the street and push a child out of the way of a moving vehicle to save his or her life and risk my own. However, I wouldn't just stand on that side of the street, risk my life in the process, and when a car got close, mumble to myself, "I bet he'll move first." The former is risky but heroic. The latter is risky and foolish.
Whether or not you do take the ice-bucket challenge, you may read more about ALS, spread word about it, and donate to the cause at the following link: http://www.alsa.org/donate/
For those that insist on taking the ice-bucket challenge, please make certain you're healthy, don't drink alcohol in excess, and are extremely careful during the process.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11294023
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