Video: Some Starkville Residents Are Using The Ice Bucket Challenge For Smiles

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)-The ice bucket challenge has spread like wild fire throughout the nation to help raise money for ALS.

Now, a Starkville group is using the challenge to bring smiles to a six year old boy.

Celebrites like Oprah Winfrey and Justin Timberlake have taken on the ice bucket challenge that’s dousing the nation.

Now Tracy Wetherbee of Starkville is taking the challenge one step further.

She wants to bring a little laughter to Gabe Valentine.

Gabe is fighting a rare skin disease in a Birmingham hospital.
“Epidermolysis bullosa it is a genetic skin disease when a protein that holds the layers of the skin together is missing so when a child is experiencing any friction, a bump has any kind of a trauma to the skin a blister forms and often that leaves an open wound,” says Michael Valentine.

Having kids of her own, Wetherbee understands how unbearable it can be to see a child in the hospital.

The goal of the challenge isn’t to raise money, but to raise the volume of laughter.
“I started it with my son and one other close friend A.J. Richie and they had a blast. They knew what they were doing they knew they were going to make Gabe laugh and from that they challenged some other friends,” says Tracy Wetherbee.

It didn’t stop there. Classmates, teachers and family started accepting the challenge to see Gabe’s face light up.
“It’s a difficult challenge for everyone in the family and to feel the support of the community is a wonderful thing to feel that we have friends who are willing to go through a little bit of pain and discomfort to shoe that they care means a lot to us,” says Valentine.

Wetherbee hopes the funny videos impact Gabe’s life, as much as he has impacted hers.
“He’s probably the most brave superhero we know. So any little bit we can do to help him and the most we can do is give him some laughs and let him know he is not alone in this,” says Wetherbee.

Gabe’s father, Michael, says the videos help his son focus on the positive things life has to offer, instead of the pain.

Gabe’s family is always looking for more people to accept the Gabe Challenge.

 

 

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