By Josephine Cioffero
It’s easy to think that Alzheimer’s won’t happen to you. That you’re too young to show signs. That you don’t know anyone with the disease. Sury Veliz is on a mission to change that.
She knew something was wrong around the age of 50 when she started becoming forgetful, repetitive and struggling with everyday tasks, like withdrawing money from an ATM. These were the same signs her father, Felix Sanchez, showed when he was developing Alzheimer’s disease. For seven years, he was part of a clinical trial that diagnosed him with the disease and studied a possible treatment. Sury knew that participating in one could give her that same diagnosis and sense of control over her health.
At 52, she was ultimately diagnosed with Alzheimer’s as part of a different research study — the trial’s youngest member. Nearly six years later, her condition has shown slower progression than expected. Imaging also suggests a significant reduction in amyloid plaques, though research is still ongoing to understand what this means for long-term outcomes.
But when Sury was diagnosed, people would tell her there was “no way” someone her age had the disease, that she was “too young” compared to what they assumed someone with Alzheimer’s would look like. That’s why she’s so vocal about her warning signs, diagnosis and getting into clinical trials. She believes early prevention and detection is what has kept her from declining.
“I think you really need to start [treatment] a lot earlier,” she said. “Don’t just sit there and wait for it to get you and take you down because you’re going to forget everything.”
Joined by her husband, three daughters and sister, Sury will serve as the Mission Moment Speaker at this year’s Sunshine Gala, where she’ll share more of her experience with the disease with a room full of community members dedicated to ending Alzheimer’s. She said that while she’s admittedly nervous to speak in front of such a large crowd, she’s already faced her worst fears with Alzheimer’s — all that’s left is to keep sharing her story.
“I’m basically telling my truth,” she said. “I know what I have to say. I know what I do. I know what I’ve gone through.”
Sury knew what it was like to support her father, splitting up chores and stepping in to give her mother a break. “I don’t want it to get to that point with me,” she said, which is what’s motivated her to stick with the medical study after all these years, even as the other participants have dropped out.
“I would do anything and everything, which I’m doing now, to make sure it doesn’t advance,” she said. “Don’t just sit there and wait for it to get you and take you down because you’re going to forget everything… your family members, your friends, your coworkers, they’re the ones who are going to suffer because they’re going to know who you were before you lost your mind.”
Ultimately, Sury’s mission is not only to encourage everybody to take action when they show signs of Alzheimer’s, but for doctors and insurance companies to listen to their patients when they say something is wrong and refer them to resources and treatment.
The Sunshine Gala will take place April 11 at the InterContinental Miami, featuring Sury and other speakers alongside dinner, an auction, live entertainment and dancing. For information about tickets and sponsorship, visit AlzSunshineGala.org
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