The author reflects on losing her grandmother to vascular dementia, a decade-long decline that pushed her into advocacy for Alzheimer's research and policy. She argues that, while breakthroughs over the past decade have produced the first treatments shown to slow cognitive decline in early-stage Alzheimer's, along with blood tests that can detect biological signs of the disease years before symptoms appear, the current priority must shift from advancing the science to ensuring patients can actually access these new tools.

The author's grandmother was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2006 and died in October 2016, an experience that led her to join the Alzheimer's Association in 2012, eventually becoming its vice president of public policy. She now serves as Florida's Secretary of Elder Affairs and chairs the federal Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services, where she is developing policy recommendations aimed at accelerating innovation while improving access to diagnostics, treatments and caregiver support.