"I feel powerful. I'm making an impact."
Dalma Riquelme of New York is AIM's July Advocate of the Month! Dalma dedicated 14 years to caring for her mother, who had vascular dementia—an experience fueling her advocacy for early detection and diagnosis.
Dalma has met with state legislators in Albany and Rep. Ritchie Torres at the AIM Advocacy Forum and his Bronx office. Thanks to her advocacy, Rep. Torres cosponsored the ASAP Act and the AADAPT Act.
Dalma's mother passed away in 2024, days before her first AIM Advocacy Forum, where her team was named ACT Team of the Year. Her teammates brought the award home to share with her—advocacy helped Dalma process her grief.
"Once you get into advocacy, you realize you're not alone...there's such a bigger picture."
Celebrate Dalma's fight to #ENDALZ, and read more: bit.ly/3SQ0Svj.