Payal Patel is a mom to two beautiful girls and resides with her family of four in Allen, TX. She had 15 years of experience working in Finance and has graduated with a Financial Analyst degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. After her daughter Rayna, was diagnosed with DLG4 SHINE in 2022, she founded DLG4 Research Fund with the main goal to fund groundbreaking research and therapies that would help patients with DLG4 Related Synaptopathy. She was instrumental in networking with the greater Rare Disease Community and bringing world class researchers to the table to work on DLG4 Research Fund in the United States. She was also able to add valuable Scientific Advisory Board members and raise over 300K since the inception of DLG4 Research Fund. As a board member for DLG4 SHINE foundation she hopes to raise funds to further research for DLG4 SHINE, get more research underway and network within the rare disease community to bring opportunities for everyone affected by this terrible disease.