Courtney and I had the most amazing afternoon yesterday at the Brain Research Trust in London. We were met at their HQ and then taken the short walk to Queens Square to the UCL Neurological Institute where all their supported research projects were taking place in 3 separate facilities. We saw some incredible multi million pound equipment and Laboratories but the most fascinating thing of all and their strongest asset were the people; their scientists. They were so passionate about what they did and so focused. It really made you realize what true dedication was all about. Some of them would spend twenty years trying to isolate a defective protein in the brain and then once this was achieved spend another twenty years looking, probing, searching for a cure. They don’t allow anything to distract them in their quest to do good and resolve what they see as a problem. We were told that some of their top guys were so unconcerned about fashion and appearance that their PA’s had to step in and make sure they looked half decent on the rare occasions when they would meet the media! I am a physics graduate and I have a HNC in chemistry and it’s been over twenty years since I was in a working laboratory so I was like a kid in a sweet shop bombarding them with questions and wanting to see this and that and they were all so obliging. We got to see them inject DNA samples into a gel suspension and looked at stem cells in various stages of development under a microscope. When I first saw the facilities I thought to myself this is premiership stuff but then part way into the tour I found out that they were the top neurological research unit in Europe, so then I thought Champions League and then later on I found out that they had the top neurological professor in the world and that overall they were second only to Harvard in the USA (I suspect the main difference between the two would have something to do with the level of funding). On leaving the facility Courtney commented to me about the fact she was so impressed by what they did and also by the fact that they did all this without seeking any limelight or applause, they do it because they want to achieve the best, they do it because they want to do good. Her comments made me think of the world cup which is now near it’s climax and I thought that some of our top performers in football and other realms could learn a think or two from these scientists. There is no winning at all costs no ducking and diving, no crowd pleasing because the ultimate judge of their performance and achievements aren’t the media or anyone else, it is themselves. One final amazing thing about the tour Courtney and I did, was the fact that we were the first people to have ever been on a tour around these facilities. So thank you to everyone who has made this experience possible through their sponsorship efforts and their donations – the BRT fully appreciate every pound of the 7312 raised so far in Donna’s memory.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 10:36:44 +0000
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