TThe Brain Recovery Project (now the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Alliance) was formed in May of 2011 by Brad and Monika Jones.  Brad and Monika’s son Henry has undergone three epilepsy surgeries –  modified lateral hemispherotomy, revision, and then anatomical hemispherectomy – for intractable epilepsy, including infantile spasms, caused by total syndromic hemimegalencephaly.

After his hemispherotomy at the age of three months old, Brad and Monika grew increasingly frustrated by the lack of information in the medical and therapy community about how to best rehabilitate their child. Would he learn to walk? Would he talk?  How would they get him to reach his full potential?  When no clear answers were provided, they decided to form this non-profit organization.

The organization’s original focus was inspiring and funding research to better understand functional outcomes after hemispherectomy and how to improve those outcomes.

In November of 2016, our board of directors approved our new initiative: to expand our research to better understand and improve functional outcomes after all types of pediatric epilepsy surgery, as well as provide resources to families of children anywhere on the epilepsy surgery journey.

In October of 2021, our mission was refined to reflect what we do: enhancing the lives of children who need neurosurgery to treat medication-resistant epilepsy by empowering their families with research, support services, and impactful programs across the lifespan.

The name of the organization was changed to the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Alliance in November of 2022.

The Brain Recovery Project dba Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Foundation received its non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service in August of 2011.  We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation.