A funeral mass will be held today at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, adjacent to Boston College, for Pete Frates, his soul free of the physical body that betrayed it. Though that body did not work, Frates did more in his too short life to try to help the plight of others than most folks could do if given multiple lifetimes.

Frates in 2014 helped inspire a social networking phenomenon called the ALS ice bucket challenge. But he did not stop when the fad peaked and faded, but instead used the fame he had received from it to keep pushing for funding into research into the dreaded disease and to assist those afflicted by it, as he was.

Frates died last Monday at age 34.

A former baseball star at B.C., Frates was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2012. It is commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease for the Yankees baseball great, known as “The Iron Horse” for never missing a game, only to be stricken in his prime.

ALS is a motor neuron disease that slowly but inevitably leads to total paralysis and eventually death as the spine and then brain stop functioning. There is no cure, yet.

While the ice bucket challenge was originated by others, it was Frates and his family who effectively turned it into a social media sensation. Take a bucket of ice water, dump it over your head, post a video and challenge others to do the same or make a donation. Most folks did both.

The challenge and Frates’ work building on it raised $220 million worldwide. Perhaps someday there will be the Pete Frates cure to Lou Gehrig’s disease.

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