Please proceed. Seth Rogen: Thank you very much for having me Mr. chairman, ranking member
Moran and the members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the
opportunity to testify today and for the opportunity for me to be called an
expert at something because that's cool.
I don't know if you know who I am at all
you told me you never saw "Knocked Up," Chairman, so it's a little insulting but
Sen. Harkin: I want the record to note.
Rogen: [Laughing] Yeah it's very important guys. Harkin: I want the record to note this is the first time i
will wager this is the first time in any congressional hearing in history that
the words knocked up have ever been uttered.
Rogen: Oy, you're not going to like the rest of this then.
First I should answer the question I assume many of you are asking. Yes, I'm
aware this has nothing to do with the legalization of marijuana. In fact if you
can believe it this concerns something that I find even more important.
I started dating my wife Lauren nine years ago when her mother was almost 54
years old. The first time I met her parents being the mensch that I am I
was excited to spend time with them and make Lauren think I was the type of guy
she should continue dating. It was this trip the first time I met my now mother
in law that Lauren first admitted to herself and then to me that something
was off with her mother.
I guess the clues are unfortunately easy to spot since both of Laurens mother's
parents had Alzheimer's disease.
Soon after this trip at 55 years old
Lauryn's mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.
Now at this point my impression of Alzheimer's was probably what I assume
most people's impression is I thought it was something only like really really
old people got and I thought the way the disease primarily showed itself was in
the form of Forgotten keys wearing mismatched shoes and being asked the
same question over and over. This period - which was the only way I had seen
Alzheimer's displayed in movies or television - lasted a few years for
Lauren's mom. After that however is when I saw the real ugly truth of the disease
after forgetting who she and her loved ones were, my mother-in-law - a teacher for
35 years - then forgot how to speak, feed herself, dress herself and go to the
bathroom herself--all by the age of 60.
Laurens father and a team of caregivers dedicate their lives to letting my
mother-in-law be as comfortable as she can be.
They would love to do more but can't because as you've heard unlike any of
the other top 10 cause of death in America, there is no way to prevent, cure,
or even slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Another thing I didn't realize until I was personally affected was the shame
and stigma associated with the disease.
It was before I was born, but i'm told of a time when cancer had a stigma that
people were ashamed by. Celebrities and other public figures that were stricken
would hide rather than be voices of hope for people in similar situations and,
although it's turning, this is currently where we are largely at with Alzheimer's
disease it seems like. And it's because of this lack of hope and shameful stigma
that my wife, some friends, and myself decided to actually try and do something
to change the situation.
We started hilarity for charity.
Hilarity for charity is a fund we have a part of the Alzheimer's Association to
raise money to help families struggling with Alzheimer's and support
cutting-edge research.
That's right, the situation is so dire that it caused me: a lazy, self-involved,
generally self-medicated manchild to start an entire charity organization.
It was through this that we felt we weren't just complaining there was
nothing to be done but actively taking steps to do something. Instead of being
disappointed that young people were so misinformed about the reality of the disease,
we've started to educate them. We recently started a college program that
allows university students to
hold their own hilarity for charity events and in the months since it
started
18 schools nationwide had signed up to hold events.
The fact that we actually are college students to stop playing video games and
volunteer their time is a huge accomplishment especially considering
both Xbox One and Playstation 4 came out this year.
I'm sure these people know what I'm talking about.
I came here today for a few reasons. One, I'm a huge House of Cards fan. I just
marathon the whole thing, had to be here. Two, is to say "people need more
help."
I've personally seen the massive amount of financial strain this disease causes,
and if the American people ever decide to reject genitalia driven comedy
I will no longer be able to afford it. Please don't.
Therefore, I can't begin to imagine how people with more limited incomes are
dealing with this. As you've also heard, studies show that Alzheimer's and
related dementia is the most costly condition in the United States.
Yes, it's more costly than heart disease in a country where for a dollar and 29
cents you can get a taco made out of doritos. They're delicious but they're
not healthy.
While death and stroke--while deaths from other major diseases like heart disease,
HIV, and strokes continue to decline, deaths from Alzheimer's have increased
almost seventy percent in the last 15 years. Over 5 million Americans have Alzheimers
and at this rate in 35 years as many as 16 million will have the disease
the third reason I'm here simply is to show people that they are not alone. So
few people share their personal stories. So few people have something to relate to.
I know that of me and my wife saw someone like me talking about this
it would probably make us feel a little less alone. Americans whisper the word
Alzheimer's because their government whispers the word
Alzheimer's. And although a whisper is better than the silence 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.
I dream of the day when my charity is no longer necessary
and I can go back to being a lazy self involved man child I was meant to be.
People look to their government for hope and I ask that when it comes to Alzheimer's
disease you continue to take more steps to provide some more.
I would like to thank the committee again for the opportunity to share my
story and to voice my wholehearted support for the continuing work that
pursues a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
Thank you very much. Sen. Harkin: Thank you Mr. Rogan,
that was very very good. Thank you. Although I'm sorry you had to unmask me,
I'm really Kevin Spacey in disguise.
Not too many people knew that. I got to be honest I was I was reading this last
night very quickly I was reading through it and I said, "Hillary for charity?"
Hillary? Rogen: Yeah, I forgot the "T" I think, yeah.
Sen. Harkin: Had to stop and go back. Rogen: Exactly, it's a progressive program. [Laughter]
Sen Harkin: So tell us more about Hilarity for Charity and why focus on young people?
Rogen: Uh, we chose to focus on young people because they are the ones who will be
affected by this very soon, and there seems to be almost zero acknowledgement
of it on in the world of these young people.
It seems to be something that's not of a high priority. It seems to be something
that people, again, think only happens kind of naturally when people enter
their nineties. And I don't think people understand that it's not their
grandparents being affected, it's their parents being affected and soon enough
it's them being affected.
I really just saw that firsthand and really felt that there was a massive
hole missing when it came to, you know, informing young people about the reality
of this disease and it didn't seem like a high priority anywhere globally to
inform young people about the disease so we decided we should do it because no
one else seemed like they were going to.