We fight for children facing dementia.

Unknown to most. Devastating to all.

Isa Elaine Lazzara was diagnosed with BPAN, a rare form of childhood dementia, at one year old. Her story is why we exist, and why no child should face this disease without hope.

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“We do not take from children; we only give.” Isa’s family covers our operating costs, so 100% of your gift goes to the work.

Meet Isa What is childhood dementia?

501(c)(3) nonprofit
Research at Stanford Medicine
Care at UF Health

Isa with her father, Chris Lazzara, at the table on the morning the UF Health program opened — **Isa with her dad, Chris**The morning the UF Health program opened, July 30, 2026

Childhood dementias take more young lives than childhood cancer.

Yet most people have never heard the term. BPAN is one of these rare diseases, and for children like Isa the clock is always running.

~1 in 2,900

estimated incidence of childhood dementia

No cure, yet

no approved treatment stops or reverses BPAN today

Understand childhood dementia & BPAN →

In partnership with

Isa cheek to cheek with her mother, Rachel — **Isa & her mom, Rachel**Every ordinary moment, worth the fight.

Meet Isa

One little girl. One promise.

Isabella “Isa” (pronounced EE-sah) Elaine Lazzara was born in January 2023, a joyful little girl who loves to laugh. After a long search for answers, UF Health’s genetics team diagnosed her with BPAN on February 12, 2024. Isa’s case is severe: symptomatic before her first birthday, with aggressive progression.

“When Isa was diagnosed, we were told to take her home and make memories. We chose to fight instead, and to build something bigger than any one diagnosis. Thank you for standing with us.”

Founder & Isa’s father

Read Isa’s story →

Our impact so far

Where the giving has gone.

$760,000

cumulative giving to the mission since 2024, as of September 2026

$500,000

Stanford Medicine

Flagship fund to find BPAN treatments, led by Dr. .

$200,000

UF Health

A research center and a clinical care program, bringing care closer to home.

$60,000

NBIA families

Support today for families living with BPAN, through the NBIA Disorders Association.

See the full impact →

Reflects gifts made by the Lazzara family and the Foundation. Updated as new gifts are confirmed.

News & impact

The latest from the Foundation.

Milestones, partnerships, and the moments moving the mission forward.

Isa in her father Chris Lazzara’s arms on the day the UF Health program opened

Milestone · Jul 2026

The doors open at UF Health

The Isa Elaine Foundation Brain Iron Disorders Care Program welcomed its first patients on July 30, three months after the gift that made it possible.

Chris Lazzara with U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Amber Denton in Washington

Advocacy · Jun 2026

Carrying family stories to Washington

The Foundation joined the NBIA Disorders Association in Washington, bringing BPAN and childhood-dementia families to the people who shape national priorities.

Research · Apr 2026

Research and care, closer to home

A $200,000 gift seeds the Isa Elaine Foundation Brain Iron Disorders Care Program at UF Health’s Norman Fixel Institute in Gainesville.

See all news & impact →

Our promise, our work

There is a way. There is a link. There is a plan. There is a cure.

Four beliefs hold this foundation together, and three fronts carry them forward.

Isabella Elaine smiling at home — Isa, at home

There is a way.To help thousands of children with rare diseases by understanding one girl’s rare condition. World-class science is already in motion.
There is a link.Early-onset BPAN is biologically linked to late-onset Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, so one child’s disease could open doors for millions.
There is a plan.A clear, fundable roadmap across research, family care, and advocacy, so every gift moves the mission forward.
There is a cure.We will not stop until childhood dementia is detectable, treatable, and, for children like Isa, survivable.

Research

Funding a first-of-its-kind BPAN program at Stanford, biomarkers and drug screening to find what changes the disease.

Stanford Medicine

Family care

Standing with families now, in partnership with the NBIA Disorders Association, community, resources, and direct support.

NBIA Disorders Assn.

Policy & advocacy

Making childhood dementia impossible to ignore, in data, in health systems, and where priorities are set.

National reach

Explore all three pillars →

The science

A bet that pays off twice.

BPAN shares its disease biology with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The BPAN program we fund at Stanford Medicine, led by Dr. , could change the future for children like Isa and illuminate adult dementias along the way.

$2.46M raised

of a $4.3M initial goal, as of September 2026

Go deeper on the science →

Leadership & advisors

The people behind the promise.

An intentionally small team of family, scientists, and operators, with operating costs covered by Isa’s family so giving flows to the mission.

Christopher Lazzara

Founder and Executive Advisor · Isa’s father

Rachel Lazzara

Co-founder · Isa’s mother

Freddie Figgers

Board Member

Lenn Murrelle, MSPH, PhD

Board Member · Scientific Advisor

Dale Pirkle

Board Member · Operations Advisor

Carol Lynch, CPA

Board Member · Treasurer

Travis Highsmith

Chief Technical Advisor

Kristen Cain

Director of Foundation Affairs · Secretary

Jourdan Luke

Board Liaison · Junior Analyst

Meet the full team →

Who we’re fighting for

Every child deserves to be seen.

Behind the science is a little girl who loves to laugh, and a family determined that her story, and the stories of children like her, are never overlooked again.

“We do not take from children. We only give.”

Chris Lazzara, Founder

There is a way to help

Join us in supporting vulnerable children today.

This is not a single-family campaign. It’s a coalition to advance family support, research, and advocacy for all children facing childhood dementia. Because Isa’s family underwrites operations, your gift flows directly to research, families, and advocacy, you choose where.

Donate now → Talk about a major gift

Research & innovation

Restricted to scientific and clinical research, including the Stanford BPAN initiative.

Family care

Direct support for families living with BPAN and other NBIA disorders.

Where needed most

Let the board direct your gift to the greatest impact across all three fronts.

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