Introduction

Biff Gore (Host): Our next recipient, Sandy Halperin, has been selected to be the 2025 recipient of the Invisible Disabilities Association’s, Invisible No More Perseverance award. He has been chosen because while facing an early onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2010, he met the challenges of dementia with remarkable perseverance as evidenced by his continued advocacy and public speaking engagements even after his diagnosis.

Sandy’s personal journey profoundly informed his co-authorship of becoming an activated patient, empowering others to navigate healthcare and field his volunteer work as an advisor with the early stage Alzheimer’s advisory group of the National Alzheimer’s Association, where he shared his lived experience. Despite the progressive nature of the disease, Sandy’s dedication to raising awareness and supporting others demonstrates an unwavering commitment and perseverance to living meaningfully and helping those similarly affected. Let’s learn from Sandy himself.

Sandy Halperin’s Acceptance Speech

I’d like to thank Wayne and Sherri Connell for me receiving the Perseverance Award from the Invisible Disabilities Association this year. This means the world to me, but it just isn’t about me, it’s about the millions of other people who are living with invisible disabilities.

I became, it was a total surprise to me that I got this Perseverance Award. Wayne, after our conversation on Zoom, or about a week later, I received a letter from him with the honor that I was receiving the Invisible Disabilities Association Perseverance Award for this coming year.

The Origins of Advocacy and Connection

I became aware of the Invisible Disabilities Association during my advocacy, working with those living with dementia on LinkedIn back in about 2013, and I became aware of the Invisible Disability Association back in about 1995. I was writing a book called “Cut Off My Arm So You Can See”. And shortly after that, Wayne was writing a book, “But You Look Good”. He and his wife wrote that book. And from that point, we sort of joined together and had a mutual understanding about what it is like living with an invisible disability as I am with my health challenges.

The Emotional Toll of “Looking Good”

The challenges that I face in living with a lot of difficult health challenges, including my dementia, is that when people would look at me regardless of whatever health challenge it was or is, they would say, but you look good, or It doesn’t look like you have dementia. And that was difficult for me to emotionally handle, but again, it’s not just about me, it’s about the many millions of others who face that same emotional issue when they’re told that they look good.

When you try to explain to them that you have a medical problem and then you will hear back from them, but you look good, you sound good, but it doesn’t look like you have this medical problem that’s emotionally tolling, that’s difficult, and my heart goes out to those living with the invisible disabilities around the world when they’re not understood, not just by friends and family, but even sometimes healthcare providers.

Shifting Roles and Advice for Others

With the health challenges that I was facing back about seven, eight years ago, I stopped my advocacy for dementia and really those living with other health challenges in some ways because it was difficult for me with my memory and those other health challenges for me to continue to go out speaking and advocate, although my heart was still with those that are living with dementia and other health challenges, particularly, again, as we’re speaking now of those with invisible disabilities.

The advice that I would give to others that are living with invisible disabilities, this is a difficult question to answer because it’s emotionally challenging when you have a invisible disability, a health challenge that others can’t see. Though it’s difficult to give advice here, is to try to live in the moment, to try to be within oneself, to try not to worry about what others are saying or thinking about you or them if they try to negate your illness in some ways. In many ways, these people that are saying these things, they’re probably saying them out of the goodness of their heart to make you feel good, but on the other hand, although they’re trying to make you feel good, on the inside, it wouldn’t, or it hasn’t made me feel good when I’ve been negated with some of my health challenges.

Support and Moving Forward

I’d like to extend my appreciation to my wife and my children and extended family for all of the support that they’ve provided to me through the years and right up to this day now, how they’ve been there for me and understanding the challenges that I face physically every day and my heart goes out to them.

Being 75 and having endured a whole slew of health challenges to my life, right now, I’m holding the baton with the Invisible Disabilities Association to help them and to help others living with invisible disabilities anywhere around the world. The Invisible Disabilities Association has given me some emotional strength as I go forward with my life now, living with my health challenges and dementia to best cope and deal with these challenges and not worrying about what other people are saying, and I’m thankful to the Invisible Disability Association to Wayne and Sherri and those involved with the Association for all that they do and their advocacy and working with others around the world living with invisible disabilities.