About us

Who we are, why we're here.

A Cayman-born charity walking alongside families through brain cancer, seizures and neurological illness — filling the spaces hospitals can't reach.

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It began with one diagnosis.

our story

In 2021, Oscar DaCosta sat in a Cayman doctor's office and heard the words no one is ever ready for: a brain tumour. What followed were the appointments, the long flights overseas, the waiting rooms — and the quiet moments in between when no medical chart could help.

Oscar and Melissa quickly realised they were not alone. Friends, neighbours and families they had never met were all walking some version of the same path. The Grey Area was built to fill that space — between the diagnosis and the day-to-day, between the hospitals and the home.

FOUNDED IN LOVE. In memory of Oscar DaCosta — whose courage and humour shaped everything we do.

our journey

From one diagnosis, a community.

A short timeline of how we got here.

2021

One diagnosis

Oscar DaCosta receives a brain tumour diagnosis. The appointments and long off-island flights begin.

2022

The Grey Area is founded

Oscar and Melissa launch a small support network for Cayman families facing brain illness.

Today

Holding the space

Dozens of families supported each year — and an island community that knows it isn't alone.

2024

Programmes launch

Peer support, caregiver retreats and travel grants for off-island treatment are formalised.

So no one walks this alone.

what drives us

The Grey Area provides the practical, emotional and financial support that lives outside hospital walls — small, stubbornly local, and met without paperwork or judgement.

Mission

To walk alongside Caymanians facing brain cancer, seizures and neurological illness — providing practical, emotional and financial support so no patient or family walks it alone.

Vision

Dignity. Met without judgement.

Presence. Show up, even when it's hard.

Honesty. Plain words, no jargon.

Community. Cayman holds its own.

Hope. Stubborn, practical, shared.

A Cayman Islands where every neurological diagnosis is met with community, care and clarity — not isolation.

Values

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Board of Directors

what drives us

The volunteer leadership team responsible for The Grey Area's direction, governance and stewardship.

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Melissa DaCosta

FOUNDER & CHAIR OF THE BOARD

Co-founded The Grey Area in 2021 alongside her late husband Oscar. Melissa leads the charity's strategy, family-support programming and clinical partnerships, and remains the day-to-day face of the organisation for Cayman families navigating brain illness.

Board
Redefine Success
Ella Rahmani
Redefine Success
Ella Rahmani

It All Begins Here

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Ella Rahmani
Small Steps Create Big Shifts
Ella Rahmani
Small Steps Create Big Shifts
Ella Rahmani

It All Begins Here

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Ella Rahmani
Turn Intention Into Action
Ella Rahmani
Turn Intention Into Action
Ella Rahmani

It All Begins Here

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Ella Rahmani
Make Room for Growth
Ella Rahmani
Make Room for Growth
Ella Rahmani

It All Begins Here

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Ella Rahmani

Board of Directors

  • A woman with short blonde hair, wearing an orange sleeveless top and beige pants, is sitting on a couch reading a book. There is a large green plant on her left and a wooden slatted wall behind her. Sunlight creates a pattern of shadows on the plain wall on her right and nearby objects.

    Melissa DaCosta

    PRESIDENT & FOUNDER

  • A man with gray hair wearing a blue sweater and beige pants, sitting on a bench with his hands resting behind him, looking to his left against a plain light-colored background with shadows.

    Oscar DaCosta

    CO-FOUNDER & PRESIDENT

  • A woman with curly dark hair wearing a beige sleeveless top and beige pants, sitting on a modern bench, leaning slightly, with light and shadows creating patterns on the wall behind her.

    Jane Peck

    TREASURER

  • A young man with dark hair and dark skin, wearing a gray polo shirt and cream-colored pants, sitting on a beige cushioned bench in a sparsely decorated room with plain walls and shadows cast on the wall.

    Victoria McClenaghan

    SECRETARY

Clinical & Allied Health Advisory Board

  • A woman with short blonde hair, wearing an orange sleeveless top and beige pants, is sitting on a cushioned bench, writing in a notebook in a well-lit room with shadows of window framing on the wall, a plant to her left, and a wooden panel to her left.

    Monet Goode

    CREDENTIALS

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  • A man with gray hair and tan skin sits on the edge of a cushioned bench, wearing a gray sweater and beige pants, looking to his left against a plain beige wall with a shadow cast on his right side.

    Emmett Marsh

    CREDENTIALS

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  • A woman with dark, wavy hair wearing a beige sleeveless top and a brown skirt, sitting on a bench against a wood-paneled wall, reading and taking notes in a notebook. There are abstract artworks on easels nearby, and sunlight streaming in from the right.

    Eleanor Parks

    CREDENTIALS

    Nam suscipit lectus ut fermentum commodo. Nunc suscipit, est a venenatis mattis, metus sapien facilisis libero, ut aliquam orci turpis eget metus. Nunc placerat nunc sed congue blandit. Aliquam eros ante, congue aliquam ornare quis, laoreet at arcu.

  • A young man with dark skin, short black hair, wearing a gray polo shirt and beige pants, sitting on a wooden bench in a neutral-colored room, casting a shadow on the wall.

    Karl Holland

    CREDENTIALS

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