Josh Gad paid tribute to his family friend Max Schachter on Twitter Wednesday after he read a poem written by his son, who was killed in the Florida school shooting last week, at CNN’s town hall.
“Watching our family friend #maxschachter read his son Alex’s poem tonight is almost too much for me to bear,” Gad wrote. “Max, we are all with you. We love you. Your strength is incredible. Your son’s poetry is light in this darkness.”
Watching our family friend #maxschachter read his son Alex’s poem tonight is almost too much for me to bear. Max, we are all with you. We love you. Your strength is incredible. Your son’s poetry is light in this darkness. #alexschachter
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) February 22, 2018
Schachter read the poem his 14-year-old son wrote just two weeks before a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Valentine’s Day.
Alex Schachter loved rollercoasters, his father explained at the town hall, and “had no idea his poem would become his future.” The poem was read at his funeral, his dad added.
The poem goes as follows:
Life is like a roller coaster/it has some ups and downs/sometimes you can take it slow or very fast/ it may be hard to breathe at times/but you have to push yourself and keep going.
Your bar is your safety/it’s like your family and friends/You hold on tight and you don’t let go/But sometimes you might throw your hands up/Because your friends and family will always be with you.
Just like that bar keeping you safe at all times/ it may be too much for you at times/the twists, the turns, the upside downs/But you get back up/you keep chugging along/ eventually it comes to a stop/you won’t know when or how/but you will know that’ll be the time to get off and start anew/Life is like a roller coaster.
Gad expressed his anger over Alex’s death last week on Twitter, saying, “a child of one of our friend’s has a bullet in his chest & is in critical condition because a 19 year old had access to a military weapon. Pretend it’s normal. It’s not.”
I am so angry tonight. I am so sad. I’m putting my phone down because we are debating sensible gun laws again. A child of one of our friend’s has a bullet in his chest & is critical condition because a 19 year old had access to a military weapon. Pretend it’s normal. It’s not.
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) February 15, 2018
The next morning, Gad revealed Alex had passed away from his injuries, and called our leaders “worthless.”
On Wednesday, several survivors and parents of those killed during the shooting attended CNN’s town hall to speak to representatives about gun control.
Listen to the poem below.
Max Schachter, father of Florida high school shooting victim Alex Schachter, shares a poem that his son wrote https://t.co/RtJCSmd1sR #StudentsStandUp pic.twitter.com/XmxVpBt3Ek
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) February 22, 2018