SRF Board member Bob Saget always went above and beyond to help raise awareness about scleroderma and be an advocate for research to find a cure. His decades-long commitment to using his media influence to help shine a spotlight on this disease has made a huge impact and continues to advance the cause even now.
It was just last summer when Bob reached out to his friend, CBS Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook, to arrange an interview where he could share his family’s experience with scleroderma and help focus public attention on the disease. The interview was recorded in December of 2021 and scheduled to air in February but was broadcast shortly after Bob’s untimely death on Jan. 9th, in a moving tribute to honor Bob’s legacy as a champion for the scleroderma community.
In the interview, Bob spoke about his personal commitment to help scleroderma patients so they wouldn’t have to suffer the way his sister did. He shared how he used humor to cope with losing Gay to scleroderma—and turned his focus on supporting research to find a cure:
“I can’t watch what happened to my sister happen to more people. If I could do anything… raising awareness is one of the things that gets you there. I feel like to really do her justice is to really make huge strides in the next decade or two, and to really help these sweet, innocent victims with this disease. “
In this candid, emotional, heartwarming interview, Bob still managed to deliver some laughs along with a serious message. It’s just one of the ways we hope the world will remember him and his legacy as a dedicated advocate for the mission of SRF and our work to find a cure.
Please note that this video is hosted externally by CBS Morning News and that the SRF does endorse or control any advertisements that may be played.
