Spotlight - Evelia Johnston

Each week we will be picking members to spotlight to tell their Alzheimer's story and why they are running in this year's New York City marathon. Check in each day for new updates on who will be spotlighted and get to know your teammates...(each person is picked at random)

On November 3rd, 2013 I’ll be running the New York City Marathon with the team “Athletes to End Alzheimer’s” in honor of my grandmother Nina Evelia Velarde. My grandmother was diagnosed with dementia just after suffering through a stroke.

I was young at the time but my older brother, Thomas, explains the beginning of her decline best. “I remember vividly our last trip to Panama before her illness really set it. The visit was post-stroke, she was in a wheelchair and as we were leaving she was crying. At the time I couldn't figure out why but I think it was her recognizing that she would never see us again, at least see us again in an ideal condition.”

I’m running this marathon for all those who have unfortunately experienced this exact moment. It’s the moment when one realizes that they themselves or another will live an extremely different and difficult life as a result of this disease.

Although her memory and cognitive capabilities were slowly declining, there were some constants. When visiting Ita, you could be assured that the movie, “The Court Jester” would be playing, cards would be out and ready for a game of Gin Rummy, and a packet of Lorna Doones would be resting on a table nearby.

Ita spent many years living in Manhattan, teaching at Barnard College. She loved wandering around this city, and as I run along the very streets she loved, I will be thinking of her. I’ll also be running these 26.2 miles in honor of my father. The impact this disease has had on him, watching the strongest woman he’s ever known struggle physically and mentally, is beyond words.

Alzheimer’s is the six leading cause of death in this country and while the number of all other disease-related deaths have gone down over the past years, the percentage of deaths as a result of Alzheimer’s continues to rise. 

Please support me as I begin training and fundraising with the team “Athletes to End Alzheimer’s”. Your donation goes straight to the Alzheimer’s Association, which helps fund research for a cure, hospital care and treatment centers, and families in need living with the disease.

My family and I spent the last few years of my grandmother’s life watching her re-live the good old days and telling us which handsome man she had just gone out dancing with the night before. My brother said, “It seemed as if she found the happiest time of her life and decided that’s where she ought to be. Ita called me “Schweeeeteee” and whenever I would say that to her she'd smile.”