In 1964 a junior doctor saw two critically burned boys run into a Sydney hospital begging for help. He saved their lives but struggled to reduce their suffering because few pain treatments existed. That doctor dedicated his life to reducing suffering by improving the treatment of pain. In a career that spanned 50 years, Dr Michael Cousins led the pain world, and crusaded tirelessly for access to pain management to be viewed as a universal human right. He and his colleagues advanced treatments such as epidural analgesia and spinal cord stimulation that revolutionised pain management. He gave me back my life.