The Heart Behind the Light
One mother’s journey through the darkness of pediatric brain injury sparked a mission to ensure no other family has to walk this path alone.
Our Story
When my daughter Nellie was born, she was the picture of vibrant health. She hit all of her developmental milestones early, even walking at just nine months old. But on Easter Sunday in 2023, our world shattered in an instant when Nellie was found in a backyard pool after a near-drowning accident.
From that day forward, our lives shifted to the sterile walls of a hospital, where Nellie would spend nearly a year fighting for her life. At her lowest point, doctors gave her a heartbreaking prognosis: she had less than 48 hours to live. Before we were finally discharged, medical professionals told me that my only option was to place her in a specialized nursing home for children, warning me that she would spend the rest of her life being wheeled everywhere on a stretcher. My response was simple: if that is God’s will, so be it—but home was the only place she was going.
Today, Nellie is a living miracle. She has become a profound source of inspiration to anyone who crosses her path, teaching all of us the true importance of love, life, and family. Every single day, I look at her and say: "Nellie is beautiful, Nellie is brave, Nellie is strong, and Nellie is healed." Against all odds, she has proven that children with brain injuries can thrive when they are given the proper resources. There are sleepless nights, many emergency room visits, and sometimes it feels as though I am all alone, but I keep pushing, for Nellie.
Brain injury recovery is a slow process that can take years, and the journey is incredibly heavy. I understand the days where you just want to sit in a corner and cry. I understand the terror of a nurse missing a shift, forcing you to miss work and leave you fearing for your job. I get it, because I have lived it.
That is why I created The BRIGHT Foundation. It is a lighthouse for families navigating their own storms. We are a village, and we are deeply blessed to be of service. We do this in Nellie’s honor—and in honor of all our children—so that vital resources can be provided, funds can go into critical research to discover new ways to treat pediatric brain injuries, and our families can keep growing, healing, and thriving!
Sending light and love,
Annissa Chaney,
Founder
March 2023
August 2022
Nellie at 2-months old (May 2022)
Nellie at 5-months old (August 2022)
Nellie celebrating her first birthday (March 2023)
Nellie was admitted to the hospital following her near-drowning accident (April 2023)
Nellie was preparing to be discharged from the hospital. (November 2023)
Nellie receiving MNRI therapy. (June 2025)
Nellie returning home after an unexpected hospital admission (January 2024).
Nellie weight bearing and holding a sitting position for two minutes. (May 2026)
Our Mission
"The BRIGHT Foundation empowers children suffering from brain injuries and supports their families through emergency financial assistance, durable medical equipment fulfillment, medical resources, and state-specific resource advocacy, ensuring no family walks the journey of recovery alone."
Our Pledge to Families
Our Pledge to You:
"As a foundation born from a mother’s lived experience, we pledge to see you, hear you, and walk beside you. We promise that you will never be treated as just a case number or an application. We pledge to treat every family navigating a pediatric brain injury with the dignity, urgency, and fierce compassion they deserve—fighting to secure the grants, equipment, and resources needed to bring light to your darkest days."
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Our Vision
"Our vision is a future where every child suffering from a brain injury has immediate access to the life-changing medical treatments, equipment, emergency funding, and advocacy they need to unlock their full potential and truly thrive."
Our Pledge of Stewardship:
"We pledge to operate with absolute transparency, integrity, and accountability. We promise our donors, social workers, and families that every dollar raised will be stewarded responsibly to maximize direct impact. Our pledge is to channel your generosity swiftly and efficiently into emergency financial grants, vital medical equipment, and reliable resource directories that directly change the trajectory of a child’s recovery."
Our Pledge of Stewardship
Fierce Compassion: We approach every family with deep empathy, active listening, and a genuine understanding of the heavy weight they carry, because we have walked in their shoes.
Relentless Advocacy: We refuse to let obstacles stand in the way of a child’s progress, fighting tirelessly to connect families with the funding, medical equipment, and support they rightfully deserve.
Unshakable Community: We believe that no one should navigate a pediatric brain injury alone, and we are dedicated to building a welcoming, supportive village where families find strength in numbers.
Absolute Transparency: We hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity and stewardship, ensuring that every dollar donated is used efficiently to create direct, measurable impact for our children.
Our Guiding Lights
"Just like the stars that pierce the dark, Our Guiding Lights are the core values that steady our path and keep us moving forward in service of our families."
Resilient Hope: We choose to focus on possibilities, celebrating every milestone—no matter how small—as we empower children to grow, heal, and thrive.
Luminous Joy: We intentionally seek out and celebrate the happy moments, big milestones, and little victories, bringing a spark of delight into the daily lives of our families.