As a teenager, Samantha Strazanac would tell her grandmother, “You’re so weird.”
“I know,” she would say, “and I want to be weird. Normal is boring. Don’t be normal – be weird.”
Her grandmother, Eduly Ross, or as her grandchildren know her, Vóduly (a combination of avó, Brazilian Portuguese for grandmother, and her first name Eduly), spoke seven languages, raised seven children and held multiple careers. “From dog breeder and dog show judge to teaching to helping our grandfather in his role as head of surgery at a hospital, to raising seven children – she was a superhero and the coolest grandmother I’ve ever met,” said Samantha, who lives Fuquay Varina, North Carolina.
As she aged, one stripe of white began forming on her head. While coloring her hair, she always kept that one natural stripe. “She was my Flower (as in the character in Bambi), – the most social person I’ve ever met,” said Samantha. “She could hold a conversation with a tree and the tree would grow faster talking to her.”
Eduly lived in Brazil but when it came time to celebrate her 80th birthday, she drew people in from all over. “My grandmother was so loved by so many people that her 80th birthday party was bigger than any wedding I have been to, and a better party too,” said Samantha. “People who hadn’t seen her in decades found out about it and went. People who are afraid of flying flew halfway across the world to get there. People made financial and time sacrifices to show how much she meant to them. I have never seen more love in a room for one person. It just screams how much of a life-changing, loved person she was.”
Despite the physical distance and all of her commitments, she was also an involved grandmother, spending two weeks with Samantha and her family every summer and taking each of her 13 grandchildren on a one-on-one international trip to celebrate their 15th birthday. Samantha traveled with her Vóduly to see the Great Wall of China for her trip, memories that she will cherish forever. “Staying with Vóduly in a hotel, picking out duck at a restaurant, every part of traveling will forever be some of my favorite memories,” said Samantha.
At age 78 Eduly was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Samantha’s mother, Silvia recalls when she visited close to that time. “She came to visit in the United States, had forgotten all her Italian, and didn’t remember ever being at her favorite restaurant. She did well for a few years, but the progression was more dramatic over the last three to four years of her life,” said Silvia.
Throughout that time, the same loving, weird, adventurous, social Eduly continued to shine through. “She always loved using her hands and was an incredible seamstress. She took my college t-shirts and sewed two queen-sized blankets from them, in addition to making us pillows, clothes and hair turbines throughout our lives,” said Samantha. “As she got older, she would go to the community center and do hands-on crafts. During that time she made all her grandchildren beautiful mosaic signs with our names on them.”
Throughout Eduly’s battle with Alzheimer’s, Samantha and her family supported her no matter the physical distance between them. “As a medical provider, my mother was able to call on her resources and ensure the care Vóduly was receiving in Brazil was the best for her,” said Samantha. “My mother was able to use the information available to her to work with doctors in Brazil to ensure she was receiving the right medications and therapy to slow down its progression and make things the least difficult for Vóduly as possible. She was often flying back and forth between the U.S. and Brazil.”
“Her last year was really bad,” said Silvia. “She gradually became unable to speak more than a few words and started to forget how to walk.”
She was 88 years old when she passed on Sept. 11, 2018.
One month before that, Samantha and her family understood that time was running out. “With three days notice my sister and I jumped on a plane to get there and see her. In her mind, she had become a child again but the love she had for us was still clear. As I was sitting on a recliner in her room she told me she wanted to sit. I got up to give her the seat and she giggled, ‘No, I want to sit on your lap.’ I am so glad I got to do that trip.”
One month after Vóduly passed, Samantha got married. “It was a hard time, and even harder not having her at my wedding,” said Samantha. “But I knew she wasn’t in pain and struggling anymore. She was where she needed to be – with my aunt who had passed away young and my grandfather who had passed a decade earlier. She was in a better place and where she needed to be at that time.”
The Battle is Personal
Honoring Vóduly’s legacy and fighting against what ultimately took her away would be enough for Samantha to join Walk to End Alzheimer’s. What’s driving her passion that helped her double her goal in just the first few weeks of fundraising though, is the knowledge that Alzheimer’s is hereditary – and hope for the first survivor. “I have a three-year-old daughter and both my husband and I have Alzheimer’s on our maternal sides,” said Samantha. “My grandmother-in-law passed away a year before our wedding with Alzheimer’s.”
“It is my hope that with all the genetics and treatment research underway, in another 70 years, we will be so beyond where we are today that my three-year-old will not have to go through what we are experiencing with our grandparents. I don’t want what I experienced to happen to my daughter,” said Samantha. “I am so fortunate that my paternal great-grandmother-in-law was the flower girl in my wedding and my daughter gets to know her. At the same time, it pains me that she doesn’t get to know my grandmother.”
Eduly’s Legacy Lives On
While she may no longer be here physically, Samantha’s Vóduly lives on through the lessons she taught and the lasting impression she left on everyone she met – including Samantha. Samantha never forgot her grandmother’s message to “be weird” and it will forever help direct the path she takes.
“The typical person wants to go to a job, get a paycheck and live their life. I don’t want to be normal and like everyone else,” said Samantha. “That means I have to struggle, do things differently than everyone else. If you don’t – you’re going to blend in. Just as she embraced her skunk stripe, I want to embrace being the outlier who does things not only differently but so differently that it benefits people.”
Samantha is an Instagram influencer and a small business owner, who owns and operates a business consulting and marketing firm, Strazanac Solutions. “I operate differently from other marketing firms I’m aware of. Does it hinder how much money I can make? Yes. But is it what I feel is morally best for everyone? Absolutely,” Samantha says about her firm. “My Vóduly had a way of giving you warm fuzzies without sugar coating anything. She could make you feel better without putting a cherry on top or belittling you. I aim to do the same when counseling my clients.”
Fundraising with Heart and Reach
Samantha first got involved in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Triangle (Raleigh-Durham) last year and built a small but mighty team. She learned about the work of the Alzheimer’s Association, and the energy of the Walk itself, and this year has hit the ground running.
Samantha’s team – Team Straz – is currently in the top ten fundraising teams and she has earned Elite Grand Champions status for raising more than $2,500. “This year, I understand what it takes to spread the word, fundraise and get people on my team. My focus has been on fundraising,” said Samantha. “I can have a ton of people walking – which is great for awareness – but I know that fundraising is what brings me the most gratification. I want to do what I can to contribute.”
The most effective strategy for fundraising she has found has been direct outreach to people in her sphere. “I don’t know if they have a direct tie to Alzheimer’s, but I know they are known for caring for causes,” said Samantha. “When I have reached out to friends and clients I feel comfortable sharing my story with, they have each donated $250 – $1,000 each. It’s amazing what happens when you ask.”
The most important detail of that direct outreach has been the personal touch. “It’s about personally speaking on the phone, text or email. Mass emails will not produce results,” she said.
She is also looking forward to activating her 33,000 followers on Instagram. “I love my followers – they are very loyal. When I post a question about something, I receive hundreds of people reaching out wanting to help. If just one percent of my followers donate just $50 – that’s more than $16,000,” said Samantha. “I want to tap into my whole network to spread awareness, raise funds and do everything I can so that fewer people have to go through this horrible, horrible thing I’ve had to experience.”
“I remember Vóduly’s ever-flawless painted nails, her signature heels, and the infectious enthusiasm with which she embraced all life’s chapters. My heart will forever be heavy, but it is also full – brimming with the love she gave me, the lessons she taught, and the unending belief that to be different is to be extraordinary,” said Samantha.
LIKE SAMANTHA, WE ALL HAVE A REASON TO FIGHT FOR A WORLD WITHOUT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE. Join your local Walk to End Alzheimer’s today as an individual, team, or sponsor.
The Alzheimer’s Association hosts 17 walks across North Carolina. The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Since 1989, the Alzheimer’s Association® mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk®; now the Alzheimer’s Association is continuing to lead the way with Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.
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Join us in our fight for a future without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.
AUTHOR:
Sarah Osment
Sarah is a strategic communications professional with more than a decade of experience in media relations, content creation and social media. She’s served on the marketing committee for Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Triangle since 2018.
Alzheimer's Association North Carolina Blog 