--- description: Pete Frates, who inspired millions to dump ice water on their heads, is back in the hospital title: The Man Who Inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge Is Back in the Hospital image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5a1b9648fa5001ea/6988d44e22fb851890e21d3f/gettyimages-469640598.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Ice Bucket Challenge](/tag/ice-bucket-challenge/) ## Ice Bucket Challenge Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Man Who Inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge Is Back in the Hospital by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 3, 2017 2:20 PM CUT  New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady talks with Pete Frates and his wife Julie Frates at Fenway Park on April 13, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer—Getty Images New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady talks with Pete Frates and his wife Julie Frates at Fenway Park on April 13, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer—Getty ImagesMaddie Meyer—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 3, 2017 2:20 PM CUT The creator of the insanely viral [Ice Bucket Challenge](http://time.com/tag/als-ice-bucket-challenge/ "undefined"), who himself suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease or ALS, is back in the hospital. Family members of former baseball player Pete Frates shared reports on his health status on Facebook and Twitter over the weekend. Nancy Frates, Pete’s mom, shared a [post early Sunday](https://www.facebook.com/TeamFratetrain/posts/1340111102709928 "undefined") that noted he was back in the hospital and “battling this beast ALS like a Superhero.” On Monday, she posted again on both Twitter and the Team FrateTrain Facebook page, saying Pete is “resting comfortably” at Massachusetts General Hospital. > [](https://twitter.com/momfrates/status/881849208541773826) Pete served as the [captain of Boston College’s baseball team](http://petefrates.com/ "undefined") and played overseas in Germany. At age 27, he was diagnosed with ALS, according to the [Boston _Herald_.](http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local%5Fcoverage/2017/07/als%5Fbattle%5Fsends%5Fpeter%5Ffrates%5Fto%5Fhospital "undefined") In 2014, two years into Pete’s battle with the disease, he became the face of the viral challenge that led millions to dump buckets of ice water on their heads. The viral sensation was also a huge fundraising boon for the ALS Association, which raised [$115 million in two months. ](http://time.com/money/4000583/ice-bucket-challenge-money-donations/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4843704/ice-bucket-challenge-peter-frates-hospital/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4843704/ice-bucket-challenge-peter-frates-hospital/"},"headline":"The Man Who Inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge Is Back in the Hospital","datePublished":"2017-07-03T14:20:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T16:25:16.562Z","description":"Pete Frates' mom Nancy says he's battling ALS like a \"superhero\"","url":"https://time.com/4843704/ice-bucket-challenge-peter-frates-hospital/","keywords":["Ice Bucket Challenge","viral","Disease","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5a1b9648fa5001ea/6988d44e22fb851890e21d3f/gettyimages-469640598.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5a1b9648fa5001ea/6988d44e22fb851890e21d3f/gettyimages-469640598.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Washington Nationals v Boston Red Sox","caption":"Washington Nationals v Boston Red Sox","creditText":"Maddie Meyer—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/ice-bucket-challenge/","name":"Ice Bucket Challenge"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4843704/ice-bucket-challenge-peter-frates-hospital/","name":"The Man Who Inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge Is Back in the Hospital"}}]}] ```