Pete Frates’ mom: ‘I lost my son but I gave him to the world’
Family and friends of the late Pete Frates came together Tuesday night at the park named after him in his hometown of Beverly as they held candles, cried, hugged and reminisced about the inspiration behind the Ice Bucket Challenge — one day after he died following a courageous eight-year battle against ALS.
Frates’ mother, Nancy, spoke of the examples set by the former Boston College baseball captain who became an advocate for ALS after his 2012 diagnosis and was an inspiration to many.
“The lessons of Pete: To be kind to one another and when you face adversity, think of how you can face it bravely and help others because that’s what he did,” his mother told the Herald after the vigil.
“He got a terrible diagnosis, a hopeless prognosis and he saw it as an opportunity to help others,” she added. “And that’s the lesson — it’s that you look at your life and you see what is it worth, and it’s worth what it does for others.
“So I lost my son but I gave him to the world, and I gave him to the cure of a disease that’s so richly deserved, and hopefully will be sooner rather than later.”
The candlelight vigil in the rain at Pete’s Park in Beverly featured the songs “Silent Night” and “Amazing Grace.”
Frates’ father, John, said he’s confident a cure for ALS is coming soon.
“Yes, he did not achieve the ultimate goal, which is to have an effective treatment and a cure,” his father said. “What he’s going to do, and I’m convinced I know it will happen in my lifetime — and now we’re going to have to reflect back on everything Pete accomplished: the awareness, the funding, the research that came from this.”
“It’s been a beautiful journey. His journey unfortunately ended now on this earth, but I’m convinced he’s right now saying, ‘There it is. Can’t you see it? There’s the cure.’ Just motivating somebody to look at it,” his father added.
ALS “never met a match like Pete,” his father said.
“It’s almost like when he’s playing a football, hockey or baseball game — he left it all out on the field,” he said. “He literally left all his energy, in this world in this vessel we call the body, out on this earth.”
Frates’ funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish, 28 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill. Relatives and friends are invited to attend.
A celebration of life will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Mahoney Wellness Center on the campus of St. John’s Preparatory School, 72 Summer St., Danvers.
In lieu of flowers, Frates’ family are asking people to donate to the Peter Frates Family Foundation, 21 Landers Dr., Beverly, MA 01915, or online at petefrates.com/donate. Information about Frates’ funeral can be found at www.campbellfuneral.com.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2PxDa2r
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