Local News in Brief : Irvine : Cured Doctor Donates $235,000 to Sleep Clinic

The UC Irvine Sleep Disorders Center has received a $235,000 gift from Dr. and Mrs. Richard D. Miller of Huntington Beach, the university announced.

The donation will be used for research and equipment at the center, where patients with sleep-related disorders are diagnosed and treated, said Kay Vickery, a spokeswoman for the university.

Miller, an assistant clinical professor emeritus at the USC School of Medicine, successfully received treatment in 1980 at the UCI Sleep Disorders Center. He was diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea, an ailment characterized by obstructed breathing for short periods during sleep and by drowsiness during the day.

Miller, in thanking UCI for its help in curing his disorder, said that before he was successfully treated, “I was so sleepy during the day that I even fell asleep while driving on the freeway.”

Miller said that after he went to the UCI center, its then-director, Jon Sassin, found that Miller had sleep apnea and needed corrective surgery.

“I underwent a tracheostomy, which immediately solved the problem,” Miller said. “Without Dr. Sassin’s help, I am sure I would not be here today.”