Phil Simpson | Trustee

My Journey

The Bubble Foundation, as you know is very close to my heart as I would not be here with out its great work and the funds it raises for life saving research into Primary Immune Deficiency, for The Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle.

Up until the age of 15 I lived my life with a very rare blood disease called CGD which meant any small infection, from the common cold could have had serious consequences. At 15 the time came to make a decision to go ahead with a Bone Marrow Transplant which came with its own set of risks and uncertainty however what the alternative was pretty grim, as it would be very likely I would contract an infection my ever weakening immune system could not fight off.

This is the reason I have decided to do something to help The Bubble Foundation raise the vital money it needs to continue to help babies and children all over the country each year.

Being on the board of Trustees of The Bubble Foundation is a great honour for me as I am slightly different to the other trustees. I have benefited directly from the great work that is done by the charity, as I had a bone marrow transplant when I was 15 years old in the Bubble unit which saved my life. I had suffered from an incredibly rare blood disease called Chronic Granulomatous Disorder, CGD for short. When I was under going treated in the Newcastle General Hospital it became clear how important The Bubble Foundation is to the patients and family of the unit, so as soon as I could post transplant I wanted to try and help the charity as much I could. I can provide a different outlook and bring a personal level to the whole reason why we exist as a charity, and I can provide a real insight of what people are going through when having a bone marrow transplant. Aside from the The Bubble Foundation my other great passions are mountain climbing and football.

I am more than happy to talk and answer questions about anything to do with my experiences or any questions you may have big or small about you’re treatment.