On March 13, 2012, Nancy’s 27 year old son Peter was diagnosed with ALS, their family’s world changed in a moment as they were told that there is no treatment or cure and the prognosis was 2-5 years. Since that day, Nancy has immersed herself in the ALS community as an advocate and thought leader. She has traveled and networked to the offices of CEO’s, Senators, Congressmen, top doctors and governmental authorities. She has testified in Washington DC on Capitol Hill, at the White House and to an FDA panel regarding important issues affecting the ALS community. Nancy has developed strong relationships with many ALS organizations involved in research, patient support, advocacy and fundraising as well as ALS priority pharmaceutical companies. She has helped build strong relationships between the ALS Association and new strategic business partners such as Facebook and Major League Baseball.
In August 2014, Nancy’s son Peter along with their family and supporters, better known as Team Frate Train, inspired the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to go viral, raising $220 million for the ALS Association and its global partners. Nancy continues her son’s mission through her passionate speaking engagements which have taken her around the country and the globe, inspiring others with her family’s story and continuing the momentum created for their cause, ALS. Her motivating talks express gratitude to all who supported the IBC and the extraordinary results and updates to the progress being made in the fight for a cure. Just celebrating the 5 year anniversary of the ALS IBC, her audiences see what disruption of a space can be, do and realize as she talks about the tipping point in the world of philanthropy that her family ignited.
Nancy holds a business degree from Boston College and an honorary Doctorate in Humane Studies from Endicott College. Before devoting her life to her son’s mission, she was an accomplished entrepreneur and business coach.
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She presently serves on the Board of Trustees at Endicott College and is a member of the Chairman’s Council of the National Board of Trustees for the ALS Association. She is an advisor to several pharmaceutical companies and works closely with many organizations which provide care services to those presently living with ALS. In August 2017, New York Times bestselling authors Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge published her family’s story, The Ice Bucket Challenge. Her Ted Talk, on Ted.com, has been viewed over 1 million times.
In January 2019, it was announced that Netflix, along with producer Casey Affleck, will be producing a movie of the Frates’ amazing journey.
