Teresa Valko on the Power of Advocacy and Knowledge

Episode 7: We can all learn a lot from our courageous guest, TERESA VALKO.  Teresa took care of her mother for 15 years after she was diagnosed with AD, which. unfortunately, wasn't unexpected. On her mother’s side of the family, there is a 100% occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease. Two generations of Teresa’s family have died from Alzheimer’s and Teresa, herself, has tested positive for the APOE4 gene. the most prevalent genetic risk factor of AD.

The impact of Alzheimer's on Teresa is nothing less than inspirational.  She made a difficult decision to leave her career as a scientist working in embryology to become a full time Advocate for Alzheimer's.  She is now heavily involved with the Alzheimer's Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) the advocacy arm of the Alzheimer’s Association. As chairwoman of the board for the California Central Coast chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, Teresa raises funds for Alzheimer's research, tells her family's story to community groups, and and travels to the nation's capitol to talk about fighting the disease with members of Congress.

Teresa's passion for knitting helps her focus on the positive aspect of life. And like the Alzheimer's Association, Teresa envisions a world without Alzheimer's Disease.

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