Yesterday, Seth Rogen, the loveable Canadian goofball spoke about Alzheimer’s disease in front of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Awareness to raise awareness about the disease.
He opened his speech with his usual jokes, including giving the chairman a hard time for never having seen his movie Knocked Up. The chairman responded by saying, “I want to wager that this is the first time, ever in a congressional hearing that the words ‘knocked up’ have been used.” Rogen continued to poke fun at himself by saying, “Yes, I’m aware this has nothing to do with the legalization of marijuana.”
The speech was equally as heart moving, as it was humorous. Rogen talked about the struggles that his family has endured through, both his mother-in-law and father-in-law’s battle with the disease.
To do his part, Rogen and his wife have created a charity called ‘Hilarity for Charity,’ which focuses on raising money for families affected by the disease, as well as raising money to put towards cutting edge research. Now various colleges in the US have jumped on board and are throwing their own ‘Hilarity for Charity’ events to support the cause.
Again, Rogen added in his self-deprecating comedic flare to ease the intensity of the subject: “That’s right, the situation is so dire that it caused me, a lazy, self-involved, generally self-medicated man child to start an entire charity organization.”
What’s not so funny is that Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the US, and there’s no way to prevent, cure, or slow down the progression of the disease. It’s also the most costly condition in the United States.
Rogen’s words and story were hoping to bring attention to a disease that is often not talked about. He wanted to raise his voice and tell others who’re struggling with the disease that they aren’t alone. He did just that, as well as brought us all to laughter in his typical Seth Rogen fashion.
You can watch his full opening statement below via CSPAN:
