"On the death of a friend, we should consider that the fates through confidence have devolved on us the task of a double living, that we have henceforth to fulfill the promise of our friend's life also, in our own, to the world." ~ Henry David Thoreau. ​

With deep sadness and great loss, we mourn the passing of our friend and colleague, Lisa Hannegan. Lisa was a founding member of Mission:BRAIN Foundation, and in her role as Secretary, she had been instrumental in the success of everything we have been able to do. 

Her 36 years of experience as a Nurse Practitioner at UCSF's Department of Neurosurgery and as an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF School of Nursing were invaluable in training countless nurses and residents. She then extended that expertise to so many of our local partners and patients in different countries. She was generous with her time and knowledge, and her warmth and empathy quickly made strangers into friends in settings far and wide. 

More than anything, it was her remarkable humanity, grace, and compassion as a friend, collaborator, mentor, and advocate that made her inimitable. Sometimes in a loss as devastating as this, we find ourselves grappling for words to convey how we feel, but in many traditions worldwide, we are encouraged to celebrate the life well-lived of the singular person we hold so dear. 

Lisa, without a doubt, had touched countless lives and had made our world better in so many ways. As Thoreau reminds us, we honor those we love and have lost by continuing the good they have done. We honor Lisa's legacy by continuing our commitment to improving the lives of our patients and collaborating with our partners to improve education, training, and access.