Jazzie Ford

I attribute my success to turning pain into passion and committing fully to the work of impact. When I lost my daughter in May 2024, I decided in that hospital room that her life would continue to matter through awareness, education, and action. From that moment forward, everything moved with purpose.

The Foundation was built quickly but intentionally. We held her Celebration of Life on her birthday, May 28, received our 501(c)(3) status on June 26, and officially launched on September 9, 2024. Growth has been fueled by strategic planning, partnership development, and an unwavering focus on measurable community impact.

Our work has been strengthened through partnerships with organizations including NAMI St. Louis, Regions Bank, Missouri Baptist, Midland Bank, The Lil Bit Foundation, ServMO Missouri, and VOP News STL, which has amplified our message from the very beginning. We are currently partnered with Dr. Abdullah Hakoun of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to ensure our awareness efforts remain grounded in medical expertise and evidence-based education.

We have earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency and received a Missouri State Proclamation recognizing Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month. Our work has also been featured by media outlets including FOX 2 Now, The St. Louis American, and Studio STL, helping expand the reach of our life-saving message.

My background in nonprofit grant writing and development shaped how I build partnerships, align programming, and create sustainable momentum. I approach this mission with both lived experience and strategic discipline, focusing on structure, impact measurement, and long-term positioning so that awareness does not fade after a single moment.

This is no longer just personal. It is a sustained commitment to ensuring that no other family experiences preventable loss due to a lack of information. Every day, I work to expand awareness, strengthen partnerships, and advance brain health education as a growing national priority.

The best career advice I’ve ever received was to “get out of your own head.” Overthinking can delay purpose, and self-doubt can limit vision. I’ve learned that clarity comes through action. When you move with intention instead of fear, opportunities begin to align. That mindset has allowed me to lead with confidence, make strategic decisions, and remain focused on impact rather than hesitation. Progress requires courage, not perfection.

If you are entering the nonprofit or advocacy space, build community before you build applause. Passion may ignite a mission, but strategy sustains it. Learn how funding works. Understand how to measure impact. Develop partnerships with intention.

At the same time, do not underestimate the power of your lived experience. Your story has value, but discipline gives it direction. I did not begin with every answer, but I committed to learning quickly, building structure, and leading with purpose. When your work is rooted in service and supported by strategy, recognition will follow.

One of the greatest challenges in brain health advocacy is sustained visibility. Brain aneurysms are life-threatening, yet public awareness of warning signs and prevention remains inconsistent. Education often peaks during designated awareness months, but year-round engagement is still limited.

There is also an equity gap. Underserved communities, particularly Black communities, often experience disparities in access to health education and early intervention. When awareness is not culturally responsive or accessible, preventable outcomes increase.

The opportunity lies in transforming awareness from a moment into a movement. Brain health must become part of everyday conversations in schools, workplaces, faith communities, and public institutions. The future of this field depends on embedding prevention into the fabric of community life, not limiting it to crisis response.

The values that guide both my work and personal life are awareness, integrity, equity, and service. Awareness is not simply recognition. It is empowerment. I believe families deserve access to life-saving information before a crisis occurs.

Equity means ensuring that prevention resources are not limited by geography, income, or visibility. Integrity means operating with transparency, accountability, and measurable impact. Service means building with intention so that no other family experiences preventable loss due to a lack of awareness.

Turning grief into purpose shaped this mission, but discipline and community sustain it.