Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan Want You To Have an Important Family Health Talk

The beloved real-life besties open up about friendship, the Buffy reboot, and why you should speak to teens about meningitis protection.

It’s been over two decades since actresses Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan first slated pop culture as the teen duo of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – but these days, their biggest adventure isn’t fighting vampires or sneaking into wild parties; it’s parenting teenagers. Whether you knew them as Buffy and Willow, Michelle from American Pie, or Lily from How I Met Your Mother, Gellar and Hannigan helped define a generation’s pop culture – one supernatural showdown or band camp confession at a time.

Now best friends and mothers to teenagers themselves, Gellar and Hannigan are teaming up with the pharmaceutical company GSK for the Ask2BSure campaign. The aim is to raise awareness about meningococcal disease, a serious but often overlooked health risk for teens and young adults.

In a conversation with The Healthy by Reader’s Digest, the pair talked about why this message matters, how to make health talks less awkward with your kids, and what community, dancing, Taylor Swift, and skin-care routines have to do with staying mentally and physically well.

The Health by Reader’s Digest: You two are teaming up for GSK’s Ask2BSure Campaign – why was it important to each of you to raise awareness about meningitis?

Alyson Hannigan: We’re so grateful that GSK is doing this health awareness campaign and that we get to be a part of it to raise awareness for meningococcal disease, which is also meningitis – an uncommon but very serious illness that can sometimes, within 24 hours, cause lifelong complications, sometimes even death. So this campaign empowers parents – particularly those with teens between 16 and 23- to ask their doctors whether or not their kids are vaccinated. And because there are different strains.

The Healthy: I remember I was a teen in the ’90s learning about this in health classes, and everyone getting very freaked out about it. How did you first learn about the risks, and what advice would you give parents who haven’t discussed it with their teen’s doctor?

Alyson Hannigan: Well, my friend actually hadn’t heard about it in health class when she was in high school, and the star quarterback – one of her best friends – just went home with a headache, not feeling well, and the next day passed away from meningitis. When I had this conversation with my kids’ pediatrician, I was shocked to learn that usually when it does appear, if you go to a hospital, they’re not looking for that. So unfortunately, it’s such a rapid demise. She said usually the first case is lethal, because until they know it’s meningitis, they’re not looking for it.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: When you look at the numbers and statistics – and I don’t want to ever overwhelm anyone, or sound like a scare tactic – but one in 10 who contract the illness will die, and one in five who survive will have serious complications: brain damage, loss of limbs. That is a crazy number. And I think the whole idea is, as a parent – especially going into those teen years – you have so many questions you want to ask, because that’s the time when kids are starting to pull away. And this can fall through the cracks.

This is also the age where they’re most vulnerable: 16 to 23 is when these kids are living in college dorms, kissing people, sharing lipstick, whatever those things are. Because it’s so easily transmissible, it can really spread rapidly. So to help protect, ask your doctor if you child is missing any meningitis vaccinations. That’s the message we’re trying to get out there. And that’s what friends do as moms – you share that information. I learned about it from Alyson.

The Healthy: When you’re raising teens, how do you work conversations like this in? Do you include meningitis talk in with the sex talk?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: Well, I hope you have the birds-and-the-bees conversation before your child’s a teenager.

The Healthy: Good point.

Alyson Hannigan: You know what I found so fascinating about parenting? I think it was kindergarten, and the school sat all the parents down and said, “You actually want to talk to your kids now about it,” because it’s no different than learning about the brain. If your kid’s hormones kick in, because then it’s less taboo. But of course, all the parents with their first child in kindergarten were like, “What do you mean we have to have that conversation now?”

Sarah Michelle Gellar: You say to your kids, “What do you know about this?” or “What did someone tell you?” They lead you into how to have the conversation. If they’re not curious, and they’ll accept an answer like, “Sometimes a mommy and a daddy love each other and have a baby,” then great – move in. But if they start to ask more… The trick is never give them too much information. Just give them the correct information as needed.

Alyson Hannigan: I just always want my kids to be able to ask me anything, even if I’m uncomfortable with it. I’d rather they learn the actual information.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: I think the joy is [that] they become your friends, too. You’re still their parent, and there has to be a delineation there. But they become your partner for so many things. And it is really special.

Alyson Hannigan: I also didn’t realize – you think you have your kid till they’re 18, but by the teen years, they’re gone. They’re with their friends, in their room, doing homework that’s ridiculous. I feel like I got robbed already.

The Healthy: As busy professionals and mothers, what do you personal wellness routines look like? What helps you maintain balance?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: The gym used to be a chore. And then – someday – it changed. I don’t know when it happened, but I was like, “Oh, this is my time.” I feel good about myself. I have a different energy. It’s a space where I can push my body and see what it’s capable of.

Alyson Hannigan: I did Dancing with the Stars–

Sarah Michelle Gellar: I was like, “I’m so proud of you for that.”

Alyson Hannigan: I told you I was terrible, but it was so much fun – and kind of the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s every day, four hours a day – I was lying on the floor not being able to breathe during the first dances, but I got what people say about it being addictive.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: “I’ve found that a lot of people discover dance later in life. They’re like, “I don’t dance.” And then they do it, and it’s freeing. It’s also a connection. Some classes are isolating, but I’ve made great friends at the gym. You build a real community.

The Healthy: What’s a self-care habit you absolutely refuse to skip?

Alyson Hannigan: I definitely brush my teeth every day.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: Thank God! I have two, probably: skincare and baths. Everyone in my house knows – don’t talk to me when I get home. I need to take off my bra and wash my face. That’s how I center myself. I love the feeling of clean skin, and a bath and a book? That’s my happy place.

Alyson Hannigan: I mix it up. Sometimes I’m really into face masks with my daughters. But right now? I have puppies. I just want to cuddle them. There’s nothing like that.

The Healthy: Your friendship has lasted for decades. There’s a strong link between friendship, community, and mental health – how has community brough you joy?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: I think it’s something we learned from Buffy, right? The idea of a chosen family and connection. You can feel really isolated – like you’re different than everyone else – but your people are somewhere. And when you find them, that’s the greatest joy.

Alyson Hannigan: So true. Especially after lockdown. We just love being with people. We had friends stay with us after the fires. They lost their house, and I was like, “Oh, this is what we’re supposed to do. We’re all supposed to live in community together.” And all these spontaneous moments would happen just because we were on the same property.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: We had a similar experience during the fires. This year was really challenging. We were out of our house for almost two moths and moved into a different neighborhood. Everyone opened their doors. We weren’t in school – our school wasn’t there either – and people would say, “We have a basketball hoop, we’ll leave the garage open so your kids can play.” All these kids brought their Xboxes and bikes. It was tragic, but it was also really beautiful.

The Healthy: That’s so nice to hear. You brought up Buffy – I saw a report that a reboot may be moving forward. Is there anything you can share?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: What’s there to say? It’s something we’ve been talking about for years. It never felt quite right, but the timing feels right now. I think the world needs her again.

The Healthy: Have your kids seen the series?

Alyson Hannigan: You’ve got to show your kids the show! Mine used to want to watch it… until they saw their dad in a music video. He was so young – 17, a baby! He was flirting with a girl in the video, and my kids were like, “I don’t want to watch your stuff.” They didn’t like seeing him flirt with someone else, even in a video. So no, they haven’t really watched much of anything.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: How about American Pie?

Alyson Hannigan: Oh god, no. I’m terrified. And then I got really nervous because of the Taylor Swift song – that they’d start asking to see it. I was like, “No, no!”

The Healthy: That’s so funny. Are there any other details you can share about your involvement?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: It’s all still in early stages. It’s a process. It’s going to take time.

The Healthy: What else in life is bringing you joy this year?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: Alyson’s just hoping Reputation (Taylor’s Version) comes out.

Alyson Hannigan: Yes! Let’s go! I’m part of Taylor’s team. We’re all Taylor Nation.

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Original article at The Healthy.

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