They soaked their bodies with chilled ice water. Even under the blazing sun, many were seen shivering from the instant cold. The event took place at the beachside with the participants using sea water, writes Umer Nangiana
It is a bucket full of ice water and you have to empty it on your body in a single go. Do not even for a second think it is not challenging enough, even in the summer heat of Qatar. This instant splash will send chills down your spine, strong enough to knock you off your feet if you are not prepared for the ‘shock.’
This chilly shockwave will freeze your mind for a good minute or so, leaving your body stiff for a few seconds. Going through this momentary ‘frozen’ feeling is in fact your personal moment of awareness about the bigger objective of the entire exercise which is otherwise just fun.
Even if for a few seconds, it will let you feel the pain of those struggling with undying ‘cold’ in their respective lives, the ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. As your brain returns to life and your body gains senses, you are able to think about the ‘ALS’ tag attached with the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ you have just taken and you realise the worth of your contribution to support the cause of saving human lives.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralysed.
Based in United States of America (USA), the ALS Association, a non-profit organisation fighting the disease, initiated the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness about ALS and attract donations to provide for the patients’ treatment besides furthering research on the disease.
As the word spread out, the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral across the world, raising donations worth US dollar 62.5 million so far. As it happens, an individual or a community would take up the challenge, film it and post the video on a social networking platform while nominating and challenging their friends to follow suit. Celebrities in different walks of life from the US and other parts of the world have been seen taking up the challenge and spreading the word.
Accepting the challenge, ILoveQatar.net (ILQ), a web portal, recently organised a mass ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in Doha at St. Regis Hotel with over 100 members from different communities participating and contributing to the cause.
In this unique ‘city challenge’ the participants challenged Dubai, Manila and Beirut to respond with the same within three days.
“It was always something that seemed to be going on in the West and had not really come over here. I have been watching on the social media and it was not until the CEO of ILQ Khalifa Haroon was challenged earlier this week that I suddenly thought this is something which has really not been here and the people are interested. And let’s do a community one, let’s do something that everyone gets involved and we don’t have to wait,” Kevin Waller, the Managing Director of ILQ, told Community soon after completing the challenge while leading the group of participants.
Waller said the idea that originated from West has been going on for about a month and was popularised particularly by many celebrities from around the world getting involved in it which included names such as former US President George W Bush and Bill Gates, the Microsoft legend among others.
“It started on midnight Tuesday. From the start to finish, it took us only 56 hours to organize so it happened very quickly. I started a Facebook event page and invited my friends. Some 130 people were invited personally and asked to share and within a day and half it had been shared amongst over 1200 people on the page,” revealed Waller.
The ILQ MD said he also shared it on their portal and its social media arm. “We had over hundred shares on website page plus lots of shares and likes on our Facebook pages and that just added to the momentum. Lots of people got behind this and made it a really special event,” he added.
Most of the participants brought their own buckets and towels with some bringing ice, too. However, the hotel provided them with ample ice supply, extra buckets and towels on the site. The event took place at the beachside with the participants using sea water. All those taking part in the challenge also made donations to support the ALS association’s cause.
“We were supposed to start at 8 o’clock with people arriving and at 8:10 we had already raised more than a 1000 Qatari riyals. And then I lost count, so I was meeting and greeting people. That was when we had 20 people and I reckoned we would have over 100 so I am hoping that we have raised a really decent amount of money,” said Waller, not sure then about the final figure.
Later, the ILQ announced on its website that they collected around US$1,000. “Everyone that came to volunteer had to make a donation, there was no minimum. By the end of the splashing we collected around $1,000 (specifically around QR3,400 which we rounded up),” announced ILQ after posting the video on its YouTube channel and its web portal. “To add to this, any revenue we make off of YouTube monetisation of this video will also be added to the pot,” they added.
Waller, the ILQ MD along with Haroon, the CEO, were seen running around giving final touches to the arrangements for a perfect video shoot and execution of the city challenge. While cameras fixed at different angles captured the activity — including a drone camera taking the aerial view — Waller was seen running in to join the group lined up to take the challenge.
On the count of three, they all soaked their bodies with chilled ice water. Even under the blazing sun, many were seen shivering from the instant cold and some headed straight down the sea to take a plunge in the lukewarm water.
“I was exhausted because I had to keep carrying ice buckets to and from the site because we have got to turn the go-pro on. But actually when we did the live film it really kicked in, everyone was smiling and that made me feel great,” said Waller. Participants said it was fun and soon after the group activity, many did individual challenges and nominated their friends.
“It all went perfectly. Everyone was safe and we all used sea water so there was no water wastage which has been one of the issues raised in other parts of the world. We looked after the environment, we got the community involved and we really made it a community event and we have done some really good stuff for charity,” Waller added.
He said the video will be posted on IloveQatar and its social media outlets besides being shared on many other websites through several other independent photographers who had come down to take footage. The video can be seen by searching #qatarals or #icebucketchallenge or on the ILQ website iloveqatar.netalong with the related information.
The participants of the ALS ice bucket challenge Qatar urged the people in the three cities they challenged to spread the word out. The three days’ time was given exactly for that purpose. Otherwise most challengers give their nominated individuals only 24 hours to respond.
ILQ advised those taking up the challenge to not waste water as not everybody has the luxury of going to sea. “So if you’re going to use tap/hose water, try doing the challenge over grass for example, that way you’re watering the grass too. Another idea is to use pool water and then do it over the pool. I’m sure you can get creative,” urged Waller in his web announcement.
ILQ thanked St. Regis Doha for the venue, ice and support.
THE MOMENT: Led by Kevin Waller, the participants empty the ice buckets.
