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HOUSTON—The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has swept the world by storm, raising nearly $100 million dollars in donations in less than a month, but few participants can say they have already been cured of the lethal disease.
JJ LaCarter can.
LaCarter, a deacon at Houston’s First Baptist Church, joined pastor Gregg Matte in the fountain outside of the church’s Loop Campus, Aug. 25, in order to raise awareness for ALS and to tell the story of his miraculous healing. Houston’s First posted his story along with a video of Matte and him participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge on the church’s website.
LaCarter was diagnosed with ALS in 2008 following extensive tests by a neurologist at the Texas Medical Center. He then underwent additional testing by one of the world’s foremost ALS research doctors, who confirmed he had the disease.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a fatal condition that affects more than 30,000 Americans, with no known cure.
“Over the course of about 2-5 years, ALS progressively paralyzes all the muscles in the body, including the muscles that control speaking, breathing and eating—eventually resulting in death,” LaCarter says.
“Barbara and I were in total shock.”
LaCarter says his church family rallied around him in support and prayer.
“People would stop me in the hall just to tell me they were praying for me,” LaCarter recalls.
“I know that when you ask people at Houston’s First to pray, they really do. My own prayer was for me to continue to walk, talk and breathe. Each Sunday I thanked the Lord that he allowed me to walk up the stairs to our Life Bible Study that met on the second floor.”
In spring 2009, Matte was on a tour of Israel, when a tour guide at the Pool of Bethesda encouraged him to pray for someone in need of healing. Matte sensed the Lord laying LaCarter on his heart, so he prayed for LaCarter’s complete healing from ALS.
Seven months later, during a scheduled visit, LaCarter’s doctor told him he did not have ALS anymore. Shocked, LaCarter’s wife, Barbara, asked the doctor if it was a misdiagnosis, but the doctor was certain that he did indeed have the disease.
“We immediately told him that it was answered prayer and God’s healing,” LaCarter says.
“(The doctor) said, ‘Maybe so,’ but we knew it was. I asked him if he had ever told anyone else this before, and he replied, ‘Only three patients since 1982.’
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a social media-driven initiative sponsored by the ALS Association (ALSA) to raise awareness and financial support for ALS research. Participants douse themselves in a bucket of ice water and donate money to ALS research before challenging a number of their friends to follow suit. The initiative has been fueled by online videos of high-profile athletes, politicians, and celebrities participating in the challenge.
Many pro-life advocates have raised ethical concerns about donating to the ALSA because the organization has funded embryonic stem cell research, which destroys unborn humans. A full FAQ on these ethical implications has been created on the website of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. The website includes a list of alternative organizations recommended by Christian bioethicist David Prentice that do not fund embryonic stem cell research.
Along with the story and video of Matte and LaCarter’s participation in the Ice Bucket Challenge, Houston’s First included on their website a list of these alternative ALS research organizations and a link to the ERLC website. The church also included an online prayer request form and the phone number to its Prayer Line, offering to pray for those with ALS or other illnesses.
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