My dear friend William Harkness, who recently passed away at the age of 66 from lymphoma cancer, was an exceptional paediatric neurosurgeon of his time. Not only was he a caring clinician and a gifted surgeon, but he was also a fun-loving person, and a remarkable companion.
The late William Harkness was born in Aldershot, to Jack and June (nee Pearce) Harkness. His father was a land agent, and his parents managed a hotel in Anglesey, which he often compared to the television show ‘Fawlty Towers’. William received his education at Eton before graduating in medicine from the University of Birmingham in 1979. He completed his neurosurgical training at the prestigious Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, finishing in 1989.
William spent the next few years on rotation in top hospitals like Atkinson Morley in Wimbledon, Great Ormond Street, and the National Hospital for Neurosurgery and Neurology, before spending six months at UCLA in Los Angeles in 1991. Upon his return, he specialized in epilepsy surgery at Great Ormond Street and the National.
It was a surgical procedure he carried out on a young man with epilepsy that brought us together. His patient’s parents organized a fundraiser for the National Hospital for Neurology and Neuroscience, where William was working at the time as a token of gratitude for making their son better. I first met him while camping in Nepal. Both of us were tall and broad-shouldered, and we made an unlikely duo – but we became friends quickly and went on two more treks together to that beautiful country. Over time, he became passionately dedicated to Nepal and its people, generously contributing his time and resources, especially after the tragic 2015 earthquake.
William retired from active clinical practice in 2014 but remained an inspiring speaker. In 2016, he became the President of the International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons. In 2018, he co-founded InterSurgeon, a charity that fosters global collaboration and links surgeons online worldwide, and shares skills and knowledge equitably among everyone. InterSurgeon will stand as a lasting tribute to a truly great man.
He married Philippa Lubomirski in 1982, and his wife survives him along with their four children, Fran, Ed, Gabi, and Letitia, their grandchildren, Arlo, Joanie, Betsy, Peggy, and Ari, and his sister, Nicola.