The term ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE CAUSE, FOR SHORT is an acronym for ALS, which stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. It is also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, after the famous baseball player who was diagnosed with it in 1939. The Ice Bucket Challenge was a social media phenomenon in 2014, where people would dump buckets of ice water over their heads to raise awareness and money for ALS research.