“Americans whisper the word ‘Alzheimer’s’ because their government whispers the word ‘Alzheimer’s,’ and although a whisper is better than silence that the Alzheimer’s community has been facing for decades, it’s still not enough. It needs to be yelled and screamed to the point that it finally gets the attention and the funding that it deserves and needs.”
-Seth Rogen, in his address to Congress, February 26, 2014
Seth Rogen, a 31-year-old actor and writer, testified on Wednesday in front of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services about Alzheimer’s disease. He has watched his mother-in-law battle early onset Alzheimer’s for nine years. Diagnosed at age 55, his mother-in-law’s battle with the disease has led him to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and combat the shame and stigma associated with the disease.
Together with his wife, Lauren Miller, Rogen started the Hilarity for Charity Fund. The Fund is part of the national Alzheimer’s Association, and strives to help families struggling to provide Alzheimer’s care, fund cutting-edge research, and make support groups more available.
In his testimony, Rogen says,
“People need more help. I’ve personally seen the massive amount of financial strain this disease causes… I’m here, simply, to show people that they are not alone. So few people share their personal stories.”
After his testimony, Rogen later confronted some senators for being unavailable at his testimony. A total of six senators attended, out of the eighteen subcommittee members. He said on his Twitter account that it “hurt the cause to see that many empty seats.”
Watch his opening statement here: