Matt Palaszynski

In November 2000, Matt Palaszynski was a young executive at GE Medical Systems. Educated in Engineering and Economics, living in Singapore, leading GE Medical’s Asia-wide Marketing Department, and married with a child on the way, Matt was at the pinnacle of his life. Then tragedy struck. His wife, Leslie, had an Amniotic Fluid Embolism, a rare and often deadly complication where amniotic fluid enters the mother’s bloodstream, leading to cardio-respiratory collapse and massive bleeding. Leslie beat the odds and fully recovered, but Alissa, his daughter, suffered a severe HIE Brain Injury (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy).

For nearly one month, Alissa Palaszynski was in a catatonic state struggling for life. When she recovered enough to transport, Alissa was flown first class on a 747 Air Ambulance to Yale University Hospital, where cutting-edge research focused on breathing difficulties that threatened Alissa’s life daily. Thus began the journey of discovery for Matt and his family as they visited the world’s best hospitals, explored alternative therapies, and sought advice from both conventional and unconventional sources.

Matt was fortunate to have been the college roommate with a neurology expertise. With his help, Matt gained clarity on the challenges his family faced, understanding Alissa’s brain injury and meeting foremost experts in brain injury research and rehabilitation. Inspired by parent-driven urgency, similar to Christopher Reeve’s advocacy in spinal cord injury, Matt founded the BRIGHT Foundation to accelerate research on brain injury and cerebral palsy treatments.

BRIGHT advanced quickly, obtaining its 501(c)(3) non-profit designation in 2002 and establishing core projects including CPCare.org and CPCure.org. BRIGHT held its first Scientific Advisory Board meeting at the American Academy of Neurology/Society for Neuroscience meeting. Michael V. Johnston, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, emphasized the importance of parent-run organizations like BRIGHT.

With the help of dedicated parents, BRIGHT rapidly built a support community, launched effective fundraising campaigns, and engaged leading scientists, engineers, doctors, and therapists to focus on what’s possible through clarity and collaboration.

BRIGHT continued its work over the years, though like many parent-led organizations, life’s complexities slowed progress. To devote more time to Alissa, Matt left GE and founded a global manufacturing company. After a successful career, Matt is now retired and dedicates his time and nearly 40 years of global business experience to BRIGHT, uniting researchers and advocates worldwide to support families and advance treatments for brain injury and cerebral palsy.

CPCare.org focuses on building an online and physical community where parents can share information and receive support, with long-term plans to create safe spaces for adults with brain injury to live and interact with neurotypical peers.

CPCure.org currently explores AI-guided robotic exoskeleton suits for extended training that promotes neuroplasticity and functional recovery.