A MAN who spent time in a medical ‘bubble’ as a teenager has backed a research appeal.

Aged 15, Phil Simpson spent months in the Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant Unit in Newcastle, including time in the “bubble” – an eight foot space of clean air where he was protected from the risk of infection.

Now 27, Mr Simpson, from Durham, is backing a £500,000 appeal by The Bubble Foundation to fund new medical research.

Mr Simpson, who was diagnosed with Chronic Granulomatous Disorder, a rare immune disorder, aged three, said: “My bone marrow transplant took place on March 18, 2004, and 35 days later, I left the safety of the bubble unit, which is the cleanest, safest environment you can be in to protect you from any bugs or bacteria.

“Up to that point, I’d never really had a normal childhood. I was always worried about contracting infections and could never go to places where there were lots of people.

“I love football and enjoy going to matches, which I wouldn’t be able to do without the bubble.

“I was 100 per cent cured, it’s just unbelievable really – I owe everything to the bubble.”

Mr Simpson now works in finance at Durham University and is a trustee of The Bubble Foundation.

He said: “I’d encourage as many people as possible to get behind it. Advances in medical science have come a long way in 20 years, but with new immune disorders being found all the time and people still dying from these terrible illnesses, there’s lots more still to be done.”

To support The Bubble Foundation, visit justgiving.com/bubblefoundation