Andrew Belliveau started the Pie Face Challenge in July of 2016 in order to raise awareness for gastroparesis and stimulate accelerated research for the disease.
He took inspiration from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
All the challenge asks is for you to throw some whipped cream in your face, share it on social media, and donate one singular dollar to G-PACT or the Gastroparesis Patient Association for Cures and Treatments, Inc. It’s a nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for gastroparesis.
Andrew was diagnosed with gastroparesis when he was 11 years old. He says living with the disease is like having the stomach flu every day of your life. He’s now 20 and his life has improved drastically- all due to a surgery which inserted a pacemaker for his stomach.
He wasn’t satisfied with his own success story though, he wanted to do what he could to help the entire gastroparesis community.
It took a while for the challenge to kick off, but after Red Sox player David Price took the challenge, things started to go viral. Price nominated many of his other teammates and word of the challenge began to spread. As of this month, the challenge has raised over 4,000 dollars. While an outstanding number, Andrew is not yet satisfied. He’s looking for a cure.
This challenge is the perfect example of the power of social media. David Price says it took about six different tags before he saw his nomination for the challenge. But with each share, it’s getting more publicity. Andrew’s now nominated more athletes, harnessing the power of technology, and feeding off the kindness of so many souls. It’s not that people don’t care about gastroparesis, it’s that they’re unaware.
As the Pie Face Challenge spreads awareness and raises funds, the chance of finding a cure for gastroparesis rises every day.
