MISSION DRIVEN. COMMUNITY POWERED.
WHO WE ARE:
A BRAIN ANEURYSM ADVOCACY NONPROFIT
LaLa Speaks Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit turning brain aneurysm awareness into education, advocacy, support, and community action.
Rooted in lived experience, we help people recognize warning signs, understand when something doesn't feel normal, access trusted information, and use their voices to advance earlier recognition, brain health equity, research investment, and stronger community response.
Through storytelling, mobile health experiences, partnerships, youth pathways, and advocacy, we are building a community powered movement so fewer families face a brain aneurysm crisis uninformed and alone.
Meet LaLa
Jacqueline “LaLa” Rhone was more than a name. She was a force of love, faith, and purpose. An ordained minister and a devoted school counselor, LaLa poured into people for a living and for a lifetime, showing up as a guide, a motivator, and a light to everyone around her.
LaLa was deeply committed to education and service. She had recently been accepted into a doctoral program and would be walking into that calling today. Her future was still unfolding, and her life mattered.
In the months leading up to her rupture, LaLa experienced a series of symptoms that were serious and escalating, including vision changes, numbness, weakness, episodes of vomiting, difficulty speaking, confusion, and changes in hearing. She sought medical care multiple times, but her concerns were repeatedly dismissed.
On May 7, 2024, LaLa woke up completely deaf and unable to stand. On May 9, a brain aneurysm ruptured. For 10 days, LaLa remained on life support while her family prayed for a miracle. On May 19, 2024, surrounded by love, a difficult decision was made to remove her from life support. LaLa was 39 years old.
LaLa’s story should never become anyone else’s story. LaLa Speaks Foundation was created to close the knowledge and response gap, elevate warning signs, equip families to act sooner, and build community voices for stronger education, support, research, and advocacy.
This is a valued life lost, and we refuse to let silence take another.
LaLa's Story
Our Pillars
We turn lived experience into education, advocacy, support, and community action so people can recognize warning signs, trust when something feels abnormal, and have the information and language needed to respond.
01
Lift
We uplift communities with education and resources that support early recognition and quicker action.
02
Amplify
We amplify survivor voices and trusted community stories so warning signs are heard and believed.
03
Love
We lead with compassion, connection, and support for survivors, families, and caregivers.
04
Advocate
We organize survivor, family, and community voice to advance early recognition, brain health equity, research investment, public understanding, and year round action.
FEATURED PARTNERS
Cardinals Care • St. Louis Philanthropic Organization • Midland States Bank Foundation • Missouri Baptist Healthcare Foundation