(Trends Wide)– Bob Saget channeled his pain to help others. And now, in the face of his death, some of his most famous friends are doing the same.
The comedian who became known as the father of America after playing Danny Tanner on “Full House” died this Sunday at the age of 65.
But it was the death of his beloved sister Gay, after a battle with scleroderma, an autoimmune disease, that made him an avid advocate of raising funds to find a cure.
In fact, the star first became involved with the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF) prior to her sister’s diagnosis with the disease, which can lead to tightening and tightness of connective tissue and skin.
Saget told the magazine NIH Medline Plus in 2019 that years before he received “a call from someone he did not know and asked me to present a comedy event to raise funds for a disease about which he knew very little.”
“I said yes and hosted the event, which was attended by Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O’Donnell and others,” he said. “I did not know that only a few years later, my sister would be diagnosed with the disease,” he completed.
Bob Saget: My sister passed away just two years after diagnosis.
Saget shared that her sister was 44 years old and a teacher in the Philadelphia area when she was diagnosed. They used drugs like prednisone and cortisone to treat the disease, he said, but they only worked for his symptoms.
“He had to move to Los Angeles to live with my parents because he needed a lot of help,” Saget said. “She passed away only two years later.”
The host of “America’s Funniest Videos” served on the SRF board of directors for nearly two decades and organized its events for more than 25 years.
Following news of her death, fellow comedian Amy Schumer posted on her verified Instagram account that she would be making a donation to SRF in honor of Saget. For its part, the organization published a tribute to its most famous defender.
“In loving memory of Bob Saget, a dear colleague, friend, and board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation for over 20 years,” read the message alongside a photo of Saget posted on SFR’s Instagram account. “Bob was a relentless advocate for scleroderma patients and SRF’s mission: to find a cure for scleroderma. He will be greatly missed.”
