six years later in 2012, pete freites would be diagnosed with als. >> when those three letters came across, and when i heard the doctor say three to five years, 100% fatal, it hit me like my world had collapsed. >> consider myself the luckiest -- >> reporter: often referred to as lou gehrig's diagnosis, als relentlessly breaks down nerve cells and causes muscles to stop functioning. als has no cure. but pete frates was looking for a way he could wage war on als. >> for a young guy like myself to be diagnosed, hopefully i can use my youth and the networks that i'm part of to promote some awareness. >> i ask of you let's be a process. let's work together. let's get this disease a thing of the past. thank you. [ applause ] >> some deep breaths now. >> pete asked me very directly how much money will it take to eradicate als. >> and as strong as you. okay. that's great. >> i thought for a few minutes. i should have thought longer. but i said a billion. >> and what did he say when you said a billion dollars? >> he said we're going to get there. >> obviously i'm here to raise for als. >> reporter