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WHY LEAVE A LEGACY ? ( IN MEMORY OF LATE PROF JOHN & ENYD )
By Pain Relief Foundation
Twenty-eight million people , over one-third of the population in the UK suffer from chronic pain , which is a risk factor for depression , social isolation , inability to work and even death . The only way of discovering advances to treat chronic pain is through research .
Over that past 20 years the Pain Relief Foundation ( PRF ) has funded over 25 PhD students - these students have gone on to become the world class pain researchers of today working in laboratories and clinics to find the breakthroughs we need .
This has only been made possible through the kind wishes of you , our donors . Gifts in wills make breakthroughs possible , giving real hope to the many that suffer with chronic pain .
At the Foundation we have been very fortunate to receive a wonderful gift of a legacy from one of our founders the late Professor John Miles and his late wife Enyd Miles and we dedicate this article to them .
John and Enyd were both from the South Wales coalfields and both went on to become doctors having graduated from Cardiff University Medical School .
John was one of five children his father , a miner and a socialist , was blacklisted by mine owners until the Second World War . Sadly , he died in a mining accident when John was only 6 years old . Times were tough but with hard work and no shortage of fortune he incredibly made it to university .
Enyd was born in Blackwood into quite a political family . Her father William Griffith was a teacher who became President of the National Union of Teachers ( NUT ). At the same time her mother ’ s brother , Aneurin Bevan ( Uncle Nye ) was establishing the National Health service ( NHS ).
John held junior posts in Cardiff before moving into neurosurgery both in London and Oxford . During this period , whilst playing rugby , he sustained a head injury . As he was on hospital duty that evening , he had to admit himself under his own care . He knew now it was time to stop the rugby !
He became a consultant in Liverpool , the fourth neurosurgeon appointed to the Mersey regional department of surgical neurology . When he joined the department , he developed an interest in functional neurosurgery and particularly the surgical treatment of pain . In 1979 , with Sam Lipton and David Bowsher , he established the PRF at Walton Hospital and , in 1981 , the Pain Research Institute , with dedicated premises for research built in 1985 . By 1989 there were five neurosurgeons in the department , covering a population of over three million and considerable progress had been made . John was also instrumental in the creation of the department of neuroscience at Liverpool University .
John was an inspirational teacher , a great communicator and , above all , a conscientious clinician . Despite being very competitive , he was modest about his talents and generous in his praise of others . Enyd ' s specialism was Child Psychiatry , practicing in Arrowe Park and the old Clatterbridge hospital at the same time bringing up their sons Owen and David .
John and Enyd both loved sport and Enyd being particularly competitive . She captained Heswall Squash Racket teams and enjoyed tennis and golf , which they played regularly together . They retired back to South Wales but stayed in contact to support the PRF whenever they could .
The research the Pain Relief Foundation funds is diverse , it is wonderful for a young early career researcher to see all this eminent and inspiring work that will hopefully teach them the necessary skills and lay the foundations for them to pursue an extensive career in pain research .
Jamie Burgess is a final year PhD student of the University of Liverpool studying central and peripheral nervous system mechanism of pain primarily in diabetic neuropathy , fibromyalgia & chemotherapyinduced nerve injury . He has published numerous manuscripts ( 9 so far ) including work in Artificial-Intelligence . Funding for his training was made possible by a kind gift and means a great deal to Jamie and his supervisor Dr Uazman Alam Senior Clinical Lecturer / Consultant Physician in Endocrinology . As a result of this funding , Dr Alam has been able to develop national / international collaborations with like-minded experts in underpinning disease processes and diagnostics in pain .
Jamie – “ My studentship has provided an opportunity to make meaningful changes in the way people in chronic neuropathic pain are diagnosed in clinic , without this studentship I would be unable to contribute to new research . The funding has meant that I am in a position to work as part of a dedicated multidisciplinary team of pain experts to address problems and create innovative solutions . It is my intention to earn this opportunity granted by the Foundation through the publication of our research and bringing new histological diagnostic methods to the NHS for people living with chronic pain . This funding has meant I can contribute to my community whilst doing something I love . The attitude and generosity of Liverpudlians gives me hope for the future and my research here and I am truly grateful .”
Gifts in wills make up the largest portion of the Foundation ’ s income and the charity simply wouldn ’ t be able to function without them .
Remembering the Pain Relief Foundation in your will is an amazing way to support the charity ’ s work and will leave a lasting legacy that will go on to help the many people who suffer chronic pain for generations to come . Whether your gift is large or small every donation makes a real difference to the future of pain .
www . painrelieffoundation . org . uk .
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