Boston Sports: Pete Frates was an inspiration to all

The Boston sports community lost a true hero on Monday. Pete Frates passed away after a 7-year battle with ALS.

This is a sad story. There is no other way to put it. The world will forever be a different place. Along with the rest of the world, the Boston sports community is mourning the loss of Pete Frates.

Frates had played baseball at Boston College. He was a captain in his senior year. But baseball won’t be the only thing Frates is remembered for.

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In 2012, Frates was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Sadly there is no cure.

But Frates never stopped fighting. He created the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that took the nation by storm in 2014. His efforts raised more than $220 million.

It can’t be measured what Frates did for ALS. The research that was done thanks to his work could one day lead to a cure.

In sports, we like to throw the word hero or heroic out a lot but a lot of the time it isn’t used in the right context. Pete Frates was a hero. He easily could have sat home and focused on his health but he did the opposite. He fought and wanted to help everyone else that was struggling with the disease.

We should all aspire to be like Pete Frates. Living life to the fullest and doing what we can to help others.

I truly believe one day there will be a cure for ALS. Just because of the money raised by Frates and his family, there are drugs are in the FDA pipeline to help people suffering from ALS. Also, researchers have discovered a new ALS gene.

The world will never forget the impact that Pete Frates made. He truly made a difference.