Elaine Julia Bettencourt was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, and prayer warrior. 

Elaine was smart, funny, kind, generous, anxious, and a worrier. She was faithful and prayed for everyone who entered her world. She loved God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, Mary and the Saints. Everyone she loved was her "angel", and the smallest act of kindness would inspire her to ask for God's blessing in your life. 

Her laugh was infectious and you couldn't help but join in, but she also cried and struggled with her emotions and fears. She was an affectionate person who at times shut down and could not interact with the world she prayed for.  Elaine struggled her whole adult life with mental illness. Her treatment ranged from inhumane to mildly therapeutic. Ultimately her mental health led to her physical demise and her death.

I often wonder about Elaine's potential and what my sister's life would have been like without the debilitating illness of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Please make a donation in her memory.

100% of every dollar donated for research is invested in our research grants. Our operating expenses are covered by separate foundation grants.

• Since 1987, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) has awarded more than $394 million to fund more than 5,700 grants to more than 4,700 scientists around the world.

• According to the Rand Corporation, BBRF is the nation’s top non-governmental funder of mental health research grants.

• The mission of the Foundation is to alleviate the suffering caused by mental illness by awarding grants that will lead to advances and breakthroughs in scientific research.

• 100% of every dollar donated for research is invested in our research grants. Our operating expenses are covered by separate foundation grants.

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