Ian Bradford is ensuring the spirit of his "caring" wife Sue stays a live through a $500,000 donation to bipolar research in her name. Photo / Supplied
Ian Bradford is ensuring the spirit of his "caring" wife Sue stays a live through a $500,000 donation to bipolar research in her name. Photo / Supplied
Ian Bradford is ensuring the spirit of his "caring" wife Sue stays alive through a $500,000 donation to bipolar research in her name.
The Sue Bradford Memorial Fund has been established thanks to the gift given to the Māia Health Foundation.
A research programme led by a team at The University of Otago, Christchurch, has been chosen as the fund's recipient – a gift of $100,000 a year for the next five years. The programme will advance research into practical therapies for the treatment of bipolar disorder.
Sue Bradford suffered from bipolar from her late teens, and Ian said while their 50-year marriage was filled with many happy moments, there were difficult times.
"Largely we had an incredibly happy life together, but with Sue's bipolar there were times when there were big ups and downs, and we couldn't anticipate when those times would happen."
Bipolar is a very complex illness, and for the person suffering and their family it can be very isolating.
The Sue Bradford Memorial Fund is being launched on World Bipolar Day (March 30) – a day that aims to increase awareness, acceptance, and funding for the illness.
Bipolar is a life-long mental health illness marked by depressive and manic episodes. A spokesperson for the foundation said one in every 20 New Zealanders suffer from bipolar disorder in their lifetime.
"Sue was such a caring person and I really feel she would be proud of this Fund and what it will achieve. If this research can help ease the burden for just one person or one family, it would make me so happy," Ian said.
University of Otago's Professor Richard Porter and Michael Flatman from Maia Health Foundation. Photo / Supplied
Māia Health Foundation CEO Michael Flatman said it was a privilege to work with Ian to identify a project that resonated with Sue's story.
"We are inspired by Ian's generosity and his desire to honour Sue in a way that will improve the lives of others.
"We are delighted to announce the establishment of the Sue Bradford Memorial Fund, bringing Ian's vision to life and memorialising Sue in a way that will make a difference for our community today and into the future."
General manager of specialist mental health services at the Canterbury District Health Board Greg Hamilton said Ian's gift is so incredible as it raises awareness of bipolar while enabling research that will make an immediate and real difference to those living with this condition.
"We place an incredibly high value on the interface between research and practice which means that ongoing research is vital to the continual improvement of our service.
"Those involved in the research today will access innovations in care and treatment, with the results of the research then embedded into our treatments and services, so we can provide the very best, modern, and evidence-based care to our community," Hamilton said.
