Seth Rogen hosting tonight’s game show fundraiser for HFC.
Tonight, Seth Rogen is on a mission to bring laughter to your homes in the form of an entertaining 80s-themed game show, all with the greater purpose of raising funds and awareness for a truly worthy cause.
In 2012, Seth and his wife Lauren Miller Rogen founded Hilarity For Charity (HFC) when Lauren’s mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Through their firsthand experiences seeing the crippling effects Alzheimer’s has on not only the individual with the disease, but also on the loved ones witnessing the difficult decline.
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 08: Co-Founders of HFC Lauren Miller Rogen and Seth Rogen arrive at Hilarity … [+]
Before seeing what the disease did to his mother-in-law, Seth tells me, “How I’d seen Alzheimer’s kind of portrayed was like forgetfulness, I guess. I didn’t understand that it could progress to the point where you forgot how to walk and how to eat and do the things that make you a functional human. I didn’t realize what a toll it took on the caregivers. There was so much turmoil that was coming our way, that starting our own charity was really like a coping mechanism at first just for ourselves and then we saw what a demand there was from other people that were going through similar things who felt like they actually didn’t also have the resources or outlet they wish they did.”
Seth goes on to share that as of today, there is still no real treatment or cure for someone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, but he is quick to address that there are things we all can do to give us a better chance to not have to endure the downfalls of this unapologetic disease, which is why brain health remains a major focus for his team at HFC.
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“I think the average person doesn’t even know that you can do things to keep your brain healthy,” Seth continues. “I think they know you can keep your heart healthy and your lungs healthy and your legs healthy, but I don’t think the average person understands that you can do things to actually keep your brain healthy and that is what can prevent Alzheimer’s.”
Tonight, brains will need to be sharp for HFC’s second annual Head to Head game show, which will stream live at 6pm PST/9pm EST. Tickets can be purchased on the HFC website with all proceeds going towards Alzheimer’s care and research.
The celebrity team captains for tonight’s Head to Head fundraising game show for HFC.
“We try to make it very funny,” Seth shares in anticipation of tonight’s fundraising game show. “We have Charlize Theron and Martin Starr and Jillian Bell, Ike Barinholtz, Yvette Nicole Brown, they’re all very funny people. Each one has a team of participants and a lot of the questions are involved in consulting their team and I host it. It was funny last year and I think it will be better this year.”
When I asked Seth about what it means to him to have his Hollywood friends support HFC in raising much-needed funds to fight against Alzheimer’s, he responds with, “It’s really nice, honestly. I’m always amazed by the people that are willing to associate with me in any capacity. It speaks to the cause. Almost everyone has someone in their life that has been affected by Alzheimer’s.”
With high hopes for the fun-filled evening but keeping their focus set on the bigger picture, Seth knows what he and his wife Lauren want most out of their dedicated mission. “Our goal is to raise awareness that Alzheimer’s is a disease that needs a lot of attention and is far from having the resources that it requires in order to make the dent that it needs to not completely financially destroy the economy of this country, just from the amount of people that will have it, the amount of caregivers required to take care of those people. It is already the costliest disease in America. The only disease in the top ten leading causes of death that has no actual cure or treatment and it is under-funded compared to the other diseases that have less pressing issues. Our ultimate goal is to one day to not have to have Hilarity For Charity because Alzheimer’s is curable.”
Being someone who has had to watch and help care for a loved one struggle with Alzheimer’s, I wrapped up my conversation with Seth by asking him what advice or comforting words would he like to share with others out there that are dealing with the deteriorating effects of Alzheimer’s with someone they love.
“I can say you’re not alone and if you go to our website, we have resources, we have online support groups. If you need in-home care and you can’t afford it, we provide grants for people that you can apply for. There is people like us trying to help and make your life easier because we understand what you’re going through.”
