Jon Stanley considers himself fortunate among bipolar disorder patients. He eventually responded to the right drug cocktail after self-described 'full-brained mania' almost 40 years ago.
NEW YORK — Jon Stanley considers himself fortunate among bipolar disorder patients. He eventually responded to the right drug cocktail after self-described "full-brained mania" almost 40 years ago left him naked in a New York City deli, convinced electricity coursed through the floor.
Others face a longer road to medication. Severe mental health care like his was "more art than science," the retired lawyer remembered being told back then. Doctors would rotate through medicines to "see if anything stuck." The experience inspired his late parents, Ted and Vada Stanley, to donate hundreds of millions of dollars toward research into treatments for bipolar and schizophrenia during their lifetimes.Now, their philanthropic legacy continues with a renewed gift for a biomedical collaborative working to understand such diseases and identify therapies. The Stanley Family Foundation announced another $280 million for the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at Broad Institute earlier this month, bringing its total contributions to the Massachusetts-based nonprofit over $1 billion.The dedication reflects both their belief in its unique team-based approach and Jon's fidelity to his billionaire-retailer father's preferred use of the wealth he amassed by selling collectibles."He said he wanted his 'Manhattan Project,'" Jon recalled. "And so, the only question was: who was gonna be Oppenheimer?"The Broad Institute launched in 2004 to tackle disease research with the combined forces of faculty from MIT, Harvard and other scientists. It has attracted prominent philanthropists, including founding donors Eli and Edythe Broad, as well as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy.The Stanleys' giving has gone almost exclusively to the Broad Institute — a staggering commitment to one recipient. This latest unanticipated gift funds another seven years of its work to determine how these illnesses develop. By using rapid advancements in DNA sequencing, the goal is to accelerate new interventions, according to the Broad Institute's Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research co-director Ben Neale."We've made major discoveries of genes that dramatically increase the risk of developing these illnesses," Neale said. "We know we only have a small fraction of what is out there to be discovered."Personal connection inspires dedicated supportJon grew up along the Connecticut coast as his father's consumer products
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