Amy Schumer is everyone’s favorite funny girl right now, so naturally I had to see her new movie “Trainwreck.” When I arrived at the theater, I bought my popcorn and swedish fish to prepare for a 2 hour gigglefest. She didn’t disappoint. Amy wrote the film herself and her clever, raunchy, endearing comedy brought the house down.
Photo courtesy of Lisa DeJong/The Plain Dealer
She more than held her own as the strong and funny female lead, with cameos from Lebron James, John Cena, Daniel Ratcliffe, Matthew Broderick, and Tracey Austin. It turns out that the movie actually reflects her personal life, including dating a professional wrestler, having commitment issues, and her father being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
As you may already know, The Home T donates a portion of its profits to multiple sclerosis research because it’s a nasty disease that can impact anyone, at just about any time. Our founder, Ryan, and members of the Home T team have family and friends that are impacted by the disease.
Amy’s father was diagnosed with MS when she was 12-years-old, which left her family bankrupt after being secure for years. She then moved to Long Island with her family, but later on her parents divorced. She said that her coping mechanism was humor. In an interview with CBS, Amy said that that her dad had a big impact on her sense of humor, which has helped her be strong in the face of adversity.
Photo courtesy of nationalmssociety.org
“I love to laugh. I seek laughter all the time. I think that’s something that also comes with having a sick parent is you don’t know what’s going to happen and so I’ll be like, ‘I’m psyched my legs still work, and I want to, like, experience all I can and make as many memories as I can.’”
She continued, “It affects your relationships for sure. Everybody I meet and I’m like, ‘Yeah, he’s cool, but would, like, would I push him in a wheelchair? You know, would I want him to push me?’ So, yeah, I go there pretty quick. Other people are like, ‘Should we go to Hawaii on vacation?’ I’m like, ‘Do I want you to change my colostomy bag?’ It just changes your perspective.”
Amy is deeply committed to the MS movement to find a cure and support the MS Society’s efforts to help people with MS live their best lives. Most recently, Amy and Judd Apatow, the director of “Trainwreck”, helped to raise over $176,000 through the TrainWreck Comedy Tour event held in New York City.
Despite the fact that Amy’s father has been living with an incurable disease, she says that he’s “just as hilarious.” Her father lives in assisted living and she said, “and when I go see him, it’s not heavy. He’s happy. They got Comedy Central for him at his hospital so they can watch my show.”