Like so many others who have seen this exceptional video posted by Anthony Carbajal, we were overwhelmed by his raw, honest emotion.

He perfectly shares the remarkable human element of living with a chronic illness. The fear, sorrow, joy and gratitude he shows offer a snapshot into the life of a real patient, and more importantly, a real person. When something goes viral, it’s easy to forget what is at the heart of every video, meme, and celebrity appearance: an authentic, human story; a person’s life.

Anthony calls into question a major problem of the drug development pipeline: What happens when your condition doesn’t offer a big enough incentive for companies to invest in developing a treatment? Does the amount of money spent on research for different conditions reflect the severity of those illnesses?  All too often the answer is a resounding “No”.

Patients of rare and neglected diseases are just a few of those who lack access to medicine due to the cost of treatments and the fact that their conditions go ignored by mainstream biotechnology companies. We hope that the Ice Bucket Challenge is a reminder to everyone not only of the significance and fragility of every human life, but of how much power you have to make a difference.

When you vote with your “likes” and “shares” on meaningful topics that raise awareness about  important issues, you give a priceless gift to those issues, and the people whose lives are affected by them; you give them a voice.

The Access our Medicine team sends our most heartfelt congratulations to the ALS community on the incredible success of this campaign. Enjoy your time in the spotlight! We hope the Bucket Challenge continues until a cure is found!

To Andrew: our hearts are with you. Thank you for your courage, for showing us your fear and your laughter, and for being a spokesperson to the millions of people whose voices go unheard.

ALS is just one condition. There are over 7000 rare diseases that affect millions of people worldwide, the majority of which have no treatment. Billions of other people are suffering from treatable conditions because they cannot afford the medicines they need. To make a difference today, add your voice to the Declaration for Affordable Medicine.

Click here to visit the ALS Therapy Development Institute site and make a difference!

You can also see our team member, Jaskaran, get drenched for ALS!