Sue Bradford would do anything to help a friend. Now her husband, Ian, is ensuring her caring spirit is memorialised through a fund in her name.
The Sue Bradford Memorial Fund is being launched on World Bipolar Day (30 March) – 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. One in every 20 New Zealanders suffer from bipolar disorder in their lifetime; one in 100 with a severe form of the illness.
The fund has been established thanks to a $500,000 gift to Māia Health Foundation by Ian Bradford and family. 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 says 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. This fund is a way of remembering Sue in an authentic, enduring way that will positively impact the lives of others.
“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 says.
The University of Otago’s Christchurch-based Department of Psychological Medicine, in conjunction with the Canterbury DHB’s Specialist Mental Health Service, has run four bipolar disorder trials involving around 100 patients.
Professor Richard Porter, who leads that research programme, says the donation from the Sue Bradford Memorial Fund will enable them to complete the fourth study and launch a fifth, as well as expanding research in two areas.
“Families of people with bipolar disorder are incredibly vital in supporting their loved ones through this illness," Porter says.
“This donation will give our research unit the financial security to continue our ongoing work into this extremely challenging and important area of research, work which has the potential to relieve suffering for so many battling this long-term and debilitating illness.”
Ian says he hopes his gift will inspire others.
“My vision is that our family’s $500,000 will act as a catalyst for others to donate to the fund, so we can create an even bigger resource to enable continuing research and support for those living with bipolar, their families, and our mental health workforce."
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