Dr. James Morton

Dr. James Morton was born in Brisbane and he received a MBBS (University gold medal) in 1987 from the University of Queenswood and by 1991 had completed general internal medicine training. From 1992 until 1995, James received specialist training in Clinical Haematology (the study of blood) and Stem Cell transplantation. By 1997 Dr. Morton was an International fellow at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre in Seattle. In 1998 he returned to Australia to be a staff specialist at the Women’s Hospital and the Royal Brisbane Hospital. In 2001, at the age of two, Dr. Morton’s second child, Andrew, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This was his inspiration for creating the AEIOU Foundation.

The AEIOU Foundation was founded in 2004 by James and his wife, Louise, because they believed there needed to be more places for children with autism to receive specialized therapy and education. This foundation provides just that. James and his wife needed to find a way for Andrew to function in society and go to a mainstream school. AEIOU’s program is designed to give these children the skills to successfully get the remainder of their education in mainstream schools along with normal, everyday children. As of now, AEIOU is Australia's largest provider of early educational care to children diagnosed with Autism. Because of Dr. Morton’s efforts, 70% of children from AEIOU centres are able to transition into mainstream schools. Before this, the best possible future for these children was a special job such as stocking shelves in a grocery store or washing cars.

One of the extraordinary things about Dr. Morton is the time and effort he has put into fund raise for his causes. James was determined to make AEIOU available to all autistic children, even those from low income families, so he developed a fundraising strategy. There is a $10,000 funding gap for the $40,000 it takes to place a child at an AEIOU centre for 12 months. So he sought individual and corporate donations to close the gap. Eventually he managed to arrange enough investors to offer the centre to the public. In the first year he already had forty sponsors. His argument was that by giving these children the tools to communicate and engage with others and become integrated into their community, these children contribute back to their community because of their participation in the AEIOU program.

Caption: Shave For A Cause station set up in Vivo (Source: Credits goes to chooyutshing @ flickr.com (under CC licence))

Another event that he initiated was a well recognized fundraiser known as “Shave For A Cure.” In this event, both men and women shave their heads to raise donations for people living with blood cancer in New Zealand. Since James specializes heavily in Haematology, raising funds for the 10,000 people in New Zealand with blood cancer was an honourable opportunity to him, not just a job.

I believe Dr.Morton is a hero because of his selfless efforts to support his causes. For example, In 2005, Dr Morton used his own money and bought an old church to convert into a preschool specially for children with autism. This church now provides for more than 100 children. He has spent countless hours proving his dedication to helping others, and his efforts have resulted in a better quality of life for those suffering from devastating conditions such as autism and cancer. Dr James Morton lobbies governments and raises awareness, by advocating for children without a voice. He has made a huge impact in the lives of many. In the past five years, The AEIOU Foundation has opened six regional centres across Queensland, providing a much needed chance for children with Autism and their families. Without his heroic efforts and enthusiasm, many families would never have gotten the help they needed. Dr. James Morton’s true heroism will continue to inspire great change for generations to come.