When our son Arthur died suddenly and unexpectedly five years ago at the age of 12 months, we wanted to build something positive from our deep sense of loss.
We set up a research fellowship in Arthur's name, raising enough to fund a PhD student at the Genesis Research Trust at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, where Arthur was born. Roberta Migale is now three years into her PhD and is already working on important research that we hope will one day help reduce the rate of premature birth. We are proud to have launched the career of a promising scientist.
Premature birth is the major cause of infant death in the Western World. It is also a major cause of life-long handicap. The Trust's research focuses on discovering ways of identifying mothers at risk of premature birth, and on biochemical processes that can be targeted to prevent both preterm birth, and the associated damage to the baby's brain that causes handicap. For more information about the Trust's work, please go to www.genesisresearchtrust.com. Although he was not born prematurely, it is fitting that Arthur is linked with this cause and that research funds raised in his memory should be used to try to improve the lives of hundreds of new-born babies every year.
Thank you for your generous support.
Gillian & Mike