This is a special edition of nightline. Beyond the bucket. Good evening. Thanks for joining us. Youre about to meet the remarkable young man behind the ice bucket challenge. If you were among the 70 Million People who took part in the viral explosion and drenched yourself in an icy shower two summers ago, you may have wondered what ever happened to all that money . And awareness that was raised . Was it all just a silly craze . Or as pete freights many friends might ask, was it a game changer . It began with a simple idea. Fill a bucket with water. Throw in some ice. And in the summer of 2014 the ice bucket challenge flooded the internet. From saintly irish nuns. I accept the challenge. Reporter to all manner of celebrities. More than 17 Million People dumping ice water on their heads, helping bring massive attention to an otherwise obscure disease, a. L. S. Everybody on the street knew the term a. L. S. A. L. S. A. L. S. A. L. S. It suddenly had a real face to it. Reporter with it raising over 220 million for charity. Weve mobilized things that wouldnt have happened without the ice bucket challenge. Reporter it wasnt kermit or oprah or even a future president who unleashed this phenomenon. It was a young athlete from suburban massachusetts, peter frates. Swinging the bat today with an awful lot of confidence reporter the man behind the ice bucket. For a young guy like myself to be diagnosed, hopefully i can use my youth and networks that im part of to promote some awareness. Reporter and the courage he showed back then is nothing compared to the courage hes showing now. As i was about to find out. Pete grew up like any other kid. Growing up outside boston. Hitting pop flies with dad. I have a kid that i new was chosen to do something great. Ive known it since he was a boy. How old are you peter reporter in high school he was a threesport star. Team captain of the football and hockey teams. But it was baseball that would become his lifes passion. Going back is frates reporter he went on to play center field for division i Boston College. Frates is the leading base stealer reporter wearing his lucky number 3. Despite athletic month wes, it was his personality that was larger than life. Petes someone that puts out this infectious energy. He was friends with everybody. Reporter beloved by his hundreds of selfproclaimed best friends. When i first started dating him, hed always be like, id like you to meet my best friend soandso. I was like, how many best friends do you have . Because ive met 14 best friends so far. Reporter his many besties will tell you the strapping Hometown Hero was a hit on and off the baseball diamond. The addendum that my wife makes to every story is, he was the bestlooking guy that ever walked on the Boston College campus. And when i remind her that i too went to Boston College, it makes for a couple of awkward moments. Reporter his final year at b. C. , pete was named captain of the baseball team. During a grudge match against rival harvard, he hit a monster home run in fenway park. Who hits a home run at fenway park, you know . Its kind of like every kids dream. Reporter after a short stint playing pro ball overseas, pete came back to boston to start a 9 to 5 job selling insurance, when he met the love of his life. What made you fall in love with pete . Hes very handsome, that didnt hurt. But from the beginning pete was constantly taking care of me. Catering to my needs. As a girl its very flattering. Thats just the kind of guy he is. Reporter pete and julie had just fallen in love. Dreams of marriage and children in their future. But just eight months after their started dating, pete started feeling odd. Having trouble with simple tasks like buttoning his shirt. After a series of tests, doctors asked him to come in. And bring his parents. The doctor walked in. He went like this with his hand. He said, this is not the common cold. This is not lyme disease. Its not parkinsons. Its not m. S. I hate to tell you, pete, mr. And mrs. Frates, you have a. L. S. Reporter it was a death sentence. A. L. S. , aim i dont trovic lateral sclerosis. More commonly known as lou gehrigs disease. The rare neurological condition affecting roughly 30,000 mostly older americans, robbing patients of their movements, their voice, and eventually their ability to breathe, all while the mind stays alert. Nancy ran screaming out of that office. She knew exactly the magnitude of this thing. Devastated. I didnt know if i should run after her or stay with pete. All of a sudden i was, you know, faced with the person i wanted to spend my whole life with being, you know, given a timeline. Reporter a. L. S. Currently has no known cause or cure. Most patients live only three to five years on average. But almost immediately, rather than wallowing, the brawny baseball star started looking at the diagnosis as a dare. Pete says to the doctor, how much money do you need to cure this thing . She puts her hand on his knee and says, pete i just said a billion. I dont have any knowledge, but i think a billion would make a big impact. Reporter a billiondollar challenge to cure his disease. An astronomical figure for sure, but that didnt deter pete frates. He said to her, i will get you a billion dollars and well reach bill gates. Were looking at each other. I was on the ground laughing, thats absurd. Were a middle class family, what are you talking about . Reporter pete became a man with a mission. Youre young, you have your whole life in front of you, ill understand if you leave . Yeah, it was a short conversation. Im pretty sure i told him basically to shut up. I was like, were not having this conversation. And he dropped it. Reporter rather than tearing them apart, pete and julie promised to spend the rest of their lives together. Knowing that you were going to get married, knowing that you were about to say, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, what went through your mind . Before we got married i was so nervous about the actual ceremony and saying those words. I thought, you know, im going to get so emotional. Mr. And mrs. Peter frates. All of a sudden i was empowered. Yeah, we are doing this, in sickness and health. And im not crying about it because this is the choice ive made. Reporter pete, always the fighter, by this time in a wheelchair, stood up to walk his wife down the aisle. Its still kind of like surreal to think about. Because he was pretty much always in a wheelchair at that point. What does that moment say about pete . That he literally could make himself walk if he wants to. Reporter its now been nearly six years since petes diagnosis. But thanks to modern technology, with julie by his side, hes already outlived the average life expectancy. What do you think of this disease . I hate it. Its an extremely cruel way for someone to live. You are literally trapped inside of your body. No one should have to live through that. Especially someone who, you know, otherwise thought he had his whole life ahead of him. He looks emotional to me. Yes, he is. Yeah. I think he agrees. Reporter though paralyzed, pete can still feel his wifes touch. He communicates emotions through his eyes. But he also uses them to move a cursor. These are petes eyeballs. We try and get this arrow as much in the middle of this screen sidebar. Then his eyes somewhat in the middle of this box. So hes now controlling it . Yes. Reporter and hes very active on twitter. Oh, look. Hes tweeting at me. Reporter its those same social media skills that helped launch a million buckets. It was two and a half years into his diagnosis. I was watching videos of the silly friends doing the funniest thins and he was laughing hysterically. Reporter so he challenged his hundreds of best friends, plugging into a network of athletes with massive social media followings. He right away was tagging people. Tagging people that he knew of influence. I accept the ice bucket challenge. Reporter almost instantly bigname athletes stepped up to the plate. Boston college alum matt ryan of the atlanta falcons. Julian edelman of the patriots. Holy smokes, that person did it, this person did it. The next thing you know your whole news feed is ice bucket challenge. When did it blow your mind . Bill gates. Reporter petes prediction came true. The worlds richest man, perhaps the most powerful philanthropist, shivering for petes cause. And that billiondollar prediction . They were almost onequarter of the way there in just six weeks. But as the science of a. L. S. Progressed, petes body continued to decline. Just this summer, a crisis. Pete suddenly back in the hospital, reportedly at deaths door. When we come back, pete frates battles back from the brink. And youre about to meet this inspirational young man who may soon benefit from petes tenacity. With 33 individual vertebrae and 640 muscles in the human body no two of us are alike. Life made more effortless through adaptability. The perfect position seat in the lincoln continental. With flavors youll love. Re like new savory grilled mediterranean shrimp, topped with a blend of green onions, tomatoes, and herbs. And your favorites, like garlic shrimp scampi. Nows the only time to try as much as you want, however you want em. So hurry in today. My bladder leakage was making me feel like i couldnt spend time with my grandson. Now depend fitflex has their fastest absorbing material inside, so it keeps me dry and protected. Go to depend. Com get a coupon and try them for yourself. Youre more than just a bathroom disease. Youre a life of unpredictable symptoms. 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Were fed up with your unpredictability. Remission can start with stelara®. Talk to your doctor today. Janssen wants to help you explore cost support options for stelara®. Nightline continues. And the yankee big artillery led by lou gehrig reporter with the crack of a bat the legendary slugger lou gehrig could send a stadium to its feet. But at the height of his career, he was stricken with a. L. S. Today i consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. Reporter it became known as lou gehrigs disease. But the griming pronot ing prii patients hadnt changed much for 75 years. What they told every a. L. S. Patient is, go home, get your affairs in order, and make that person comfortable for the rest of their life. Pete basically said, f that. Reporter instead of disappearing into the shadows, pete frates was determined to show the world how devastating a. L. S. Really is. Pete now breathes through a ventilator which keeps him alive. Its a difficult decision. Only 10 percent of a. L. S. Patients choose to make it. As a result, a nurse is on hand 24 7. Daily life is a constant and costly struggle. The medical bills around 90,000 a month. Petes family now fundraising to help pay those bills. Just a few months ago, his family thought they might lose him. But then after yet another change in medication, pete battled back. Posting this video. Yes, thats pearl jams alive. Showing that his steely determination and his sense of humor still very much intact. Then again, pete has a lot to live for. I cant imagine how happy im going to be when i have my own little baby. Reporter this was one of the last times he was able to speak, just before his daughter lucy was born. Tell me about what you see in his love for his daughter. Its pretty crazy. Hes so madly in love with her. Shes the light of our lives. What do you tell your daughter about the future . Shes never known pete in another state. Petes always been in a wheelchair. Hes never spoken to her with his voice. Hes never picked her up. So this is dad, to lucy. Lucy, daddy loves you. Reporter this is how pete talks to his now 3yearold daughter. Hell type messages to us on this. Reporter a tablet screen, now the window to his mind. And right now, hes trying to capture our attention. Oh, thats so cool. This is from the green monster. Oh, boy. Reporter its that home run he hit at fenway park. One of his fondest memories. Just 11 years ago. That is a thing of beauty. Reporter his story inspiring this book by casey sherman. He realized immediately, before anybody did, that this was his mission, this was his purpose in life, was to be the face of this dreaded disease and find a cure for it. I think that is for sure what the Ice Bucket Campaign did. It brought in all these great biologists, engineers, people who never thought about a. L. S. , into the a. L. S. Field. Reporter the ice bucket fundraising helped usher in medical breakthroughs, from finding an a. L. S. Gene to fast tracking approvals for new drugs and pushing even more into clinical trials. Pete said to us, everything that we do is probably not going to be in time for me, but its going to be in time so other people will never have to have this happen to them. Reporter 3,000 miles from boston, 22yearold oziel mendoza is one of the countless patients whos about to benefit from one of those new drugs. Tell me about the impact your doctors are telling you its going to have on your progression. So its supposed to slow the disease down by about 33 . So its the most significant thing thats ever been tested and proven. Reporter like pete, hes an allaround athlete, a team captain, fell in love with his middle School Sweetheart bella. They long dreamed of a beautiful wedding and starting a life together. Just last summer he started to notice a twitching and muscle weakness after a series of tests, the dreaded diagnosis, a. L. S. What was that like getting that news . Still hard to put into words. We never expected to hear that. In our entire lives to hear two to five years is the average years that someone lives after being diagnosed with a. L. S. My whole entire life flashed by me. This is a brace to help you walk . Yes and i wear them on both legs. Reporter less than a year after diagnosis he has to use braces to walk. When his right hand became too weak he learned to write with his left. If you could talk to pete its right now what would you say to him . First id say thank you for everything that hes done. And for the inspiration that hes given me. And many other people with a. L. S. You know, that theres hope. Reporter that hope means everything. Just three days before oziels diagnosis, he asked bella to marry him. Everybody knows the line in the wedding, the wedding vows, in sickness and in health. Im going to mean it. Because every single day, i try to tell you that im never going to leave your side. And im not going to. Im in this until the end. Did you ever discuss not going through with the engagement . It sped everything up a little bit after hearing the diagnosis and what this disease holds. I want to be able to walk down the aisle. I want to be able to go on a honeymoon adventure with her, do things weve always dreamed of. Reporter and on a picturesque september day, just a few weeks ago, that dream came true. During their vows, he leans on her for support. I will cherish you for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health mr. And mrs. Osiel mendoza. Reporter a. L. S. Makes it hard to stand for long but osiel is determined to walk his new bride down the aisle, just like pete frates did. Someday reporter together they share the first dance of the rest of their lives. When im awfully low reporter a graceful act of defiance against a disease that steals just about everything. Osiel is 22, bella is 21. What advice would you give them . If you try and look at the bigger picture, its almost its just too scary. Every day has to be a day where you just face the challenge that the day holds. Reporter back in boston, pete and julie continue to fight for every day. For love. This is lucys favorite show. Reporter for their legacy. She is his legacy. Shes so pete in so many ways. Which is amazing for me. Reporter pete teaching us its not how many years you have but what you make of them that counts. Well be right back. If youve got a life, you gotta swiffer afi sure had a lot on my mind. My 30year marriage. My 3month old business. Plus. What if this happened again . I was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me . So i made a point to talk to my doctor. He told me about eliquis. Eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. Not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots. Eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. Eliquis had both. And that turned around my thinking. Dont stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. If you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily. And it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots. Plus had less major bleeding. Both made eliquis right for me. Ask your doctor if switching to eliquis is right for you. My bladder leakage was making me feel like i couldnt spend time with my grandson. Now depend fitflex has their fastest absorbing material inside, so it keeps me dry and protected. Go to depend. Com get a coupon and try them for yourself. Tonight our thoughts are with all those affected by a. L. S. , both patients, caregivers and loved ones. If you want to dig deeper into pete frates story, Team Freight Train and all thats going on in the world of a. L. S. , find out more on abcnews. Com and our Nightline Facebook page. Thanks to pete and his entire family. Thank you for joining us for this special edition. Good night, america. When i tell people i host this show, they always ask me, whats my favorite question . Well, its one i hope i get a chance to ask someone today hows it feel to win 1 million . Its time to play who wants to be a millionaire. [dramatic music] i hope i ask this guy that question in just a little bit. So do i. Welcome to the show. Are you guys ready to go today . [cheers and applause] good. Were in the middle of a great game. Im here with christian sorge, our returning contestant, whos a bit of a gambler. Took some chances in our last game and he has gambled his way to 20,000. Lots in the bank. Not bad. That puts you six questions away from 1 million. Wow. And even closer, youre just two questions away from that 50,000 threshold, so couple big stops along the way. The only downside, if there is one, no lifelines. Right. So no net. Nope. Just you and i out here. You, me, and that board. And the beard. Yes, and the beard, course. Just you, me, and beard. And 1 million. Coming to cinema this summer. [laughter] all right, lets get back to your game. You ready to go . Im ready, lets do this. Lets play who wants to be a millionaire. [dramatic musical flourish] we get back into it with a 30,000 question. Thats whats on the board