NYT bestselling author visits HWCOM to talk about Alzheimer’s

Dr. John A. Rock looks on as Meryl Comer discusses her best-selling book on Alzheimer’s disease

New York Times bestselling author Meryl Comer  visited the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Oct. 31 for a candid conversation on Alzheimer’s disease. Comer discussed her new book, Slow Dancing with a Stranger, the painful and very personal story of her and her husband’s battle with early onset Alzheimer’s.

“This is the cruelest of diseases. It robs you of who you are,” she told the audience of medical students, doctors, and staff gathered for the hour-long lecture.

Comer’s husband, Dr. Harvey R. Gralnick, once chief of hematology and oncology at the National Institutes of Health, was only 58 when he was diagnosed. Twenty years later they are both prisoners of Alzheimer’s, but Comer has turned adversity into opportunity by becoming a relentless proponent of Alzheimer’s awareness, education and research.

Comer, an Emmy award-winning reporter, producer and talk show host, is President/CEO of the Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer‘s Initiative. She has made it part of her mission to reveal the truth about the horrible, debilitating disease and everyone it affects. In particular, she sounded a wake up call to baby boomers to be proactive when it comes to Alzheimer’s in order to ward off possible future risk.

“We are obsessed about Ebola. This is the one that is slow and destructive that we really have to pay attention to!” she said.

Dr. John A. Rock, Vanessa Wertheim, Meryl Comer, FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg

During her visit to Miami, Comer was one of the guests of honor at the College of Medicine’s Sapphire Celebration “White Coats & Dreams” Gala on Nov. 1. The annual event raises scholarship money for medical students and honors the contributions of individuals or organizations recognized as leaders in medicine. Comer received the Dr. Herbert Wertheim Global Medical Leadership Award.

“Slow Dancing With A Stranger” is available at Amazon.com. Comer says 100% of the proceeds from the book will support Alzheimer’s research.