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WATCH: Zillow CEO accepts ice-bucket challenge

Top executives raise awareness for ALS

The guy at the top of Zillow is pretty cool. In fact, after today, he's downright ice cold.

The ice-bucket challenge is moving across the nation, with top celebrities and professional athletes jumping on board.

But this light-hearted challenge is followed for a powerful cause: spreading awareness of ALS disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  

According to the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neuromuscular illness.

“In ALS, there’s a gradual, continuing degeneration of motor nerve cells in the brain (upper motor neurons) and spinal cord (lower motor neuron). When motor neurons can no longer send impulses to muscles, they begin to waste away (atrophy), causing increased muscle weakness and paralysis,” the site said.

So far, there is no cure of the disease, but there are ways to keep the quality of life as high as possible.

The most recent person to jump on board, none other than Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff.

After one person accepts the challenge, they pay it forward and challenge 3 other people. In this case, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo accepted and proceeded to nominate Rascoff.

[On a side note, photos of Lou Gehrig's last place of residence is available on the Zillow website.]

And the best part: so far it is working. According to an article in CNBC, “The national office of the ALS Association said it has received more than $3.6 million since July 29, compared with $24,700 in the same period last year. Association-wide, including national and chapter revenue, it has received $5.7 million in donations, compared to $1.2 million during a year ago.”

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