How one man accepted the challenge

Frates is credited with creating the challenge along with friend and fellow ALS patient Pat Quinn of Yonkers, New York. For many of Frates' friends, the Beverly native was the right man at the right time to take up the gauntlet. When he was first diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in the spring of 2012, Frates said the battle against the disease "is everything now. It's my life's work. It's what I believe the big man upstairs has put me here to do."

"That's just been my main focus since this started happening, to be a positive influence for other people who have the disease, be a positive influence for family and friends," said Frates. "At the end of the day, I want to be the cliché game-changer. I want to be the guy who shifts everyone's thinking and shifts where the funds are going. Selfishly, I want to give myself a chance but also give a lot of other people opportunity as well."

He has never wavered from that commitment.

"That's where my wife and I are the most proud of him, but we can't be surprised," said John Frates. "He's always been the leader. He's always been the team captain. He's always put himself before others."

NHL left winger John McCarthy said Frates took him under his wing when the two played hockey at St. John's Prep in Danvers.

"Pete's a great guy, and he always looked out for me," said the 28-year-old McCarthy, an Andover native. "Now you see his network of friends and how everyone is so supportive. That speaks to the kind of person Pete is."

Frates' story is a difficult one to process in its entirety. ALS doesn't recognize courage, willpower or good intentions. It is fatal. There is no known cure and no effective treatment. Frates has had to come to grips with the same prognosis Gehrig faced 75 years ago. He is now confined to a wheelchair, requiring near-constant care.

"Am I surprised about the progression of the disease? Of course I am," said John Frates. "I thought a 6-foot-2, 220-pound, ripped, powerful guy could keep this thing at bay while they figured it out. But what he's done for this movement, in one fell swoop, in one two-week period, has fast-forwarded this disease 75 years. It's incredible."

On Saturday, the ALS Therapy Development Institute in Cambridge hosted a Young Faces of ALS Corntoss Challenge to raise funds. First conceived in November, it likely would have been a small-but-worthwhile fundraiser for ALSTDI, a nonprofit research firm founded 13 years ago. Less than a month ago, fewer than 20 teams had signed up.

But the event got an unexpected bump from the Ice Bucket Challenge, and by the time the beanbags started flying, it had sold out all 65 slots with 130 competitors. More than 200 people attended the festivities, raising an estimated $25,000.

"This is what Pete tried to instill in us," said Gath, a 29-year-old commercial loan officer from Reading who helped organize the Boston Corntoss Challenge. "You have to get involved, put yourself out there and do your part. Pete laid that groundwork for me."

The obstacles facing ALS researchers and fundraisers are formidable, in part because the population suffering from the disease at any given time is relatively small. Currently, roughly 30,000 people in the United States are suffering from ALS in various stages. That number is a testament to just how ruthless the disease is. The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years after diagnosis, said Carol Hamilton, director of development for ALSTDI. As a result, ALS sufferers don't have a chance to build the community required to make a strong, consistent argument for increased funding.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, however, has turned that paradigm on its head. First is the funding component, which always drives research. More importantly, though, is that the challenge is stripping away the mystery that surrounds the disease.

According to Dr. Fernando Vieira, director of research operations at ALSTDI, the Internet phenomenon has triggered interest, which has led to increased awareness.

"It's been almost surreal to see the world stop, look up and take notice of ALS," he said. "It's been a dream come true."

Arthur Cronin, Frates' uncle, said the Boston professional sports fraternity has also stepped up, with the Bruins, Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics all lending a hand. Die-hard Boston fans, like Andrew Holden, a former South Boston neighbor of Frates, aren't surprised.

"The sports community in Boston is massive," said the 29-year-old Holden. "And when they get behind something, remarkable things can happen."

The Ice Bucket Challenge has reached far beyond the sports world, with celebrities including Justin Timberlake and Oprah Winfrey and billionaires like Bill Gates dousing themselves in ice water. ALS researchers are encouraged by the outpouring of support that the challenge has generated, but they are also pragmatic. Vieira said that while the viral nature of the Ice Bucket Challenge isn't sustainable, it has succeeded in promoting an understanding of the full scope of ALS.

"Now people notice us, and groups like ours, trying to make a difference," he said. "I think we'll have more people engaged over the long haul."

Vieira compared the ALS fight to the battle against multiple sclerosis. Once researchers and doctors began to make inroads against MS, patients started to live longer, which in turn provided more voices. Through the Ice Bucket Challenge, Frates and Quinn are doing the same for ALS, Vieira said.

"More people" translates to creating a larger community. A team, if you will.

Justin Silvestro of Waltham, who plays third base for the 2013 Intercity Baseball League champion Lexington Blue Sox, recalled a pump-up speech that Frates gave the team last year before a game against Reading at Endicott College.

"Pete told us, 'Baseball is a great game, but the best thing you can do is spend time with your teammates, creating that unbreakable bond,'" said the 21-year-old Silvestro. "He said, 'If you get to know the people you play with, you'll be unbeatable.'"

Those who have heard Pete Frates' voice have memories that won't fade with time. For those who haven't, they can find his message being repeated by his ever-widening support network throughout the Internet, loud and clear.