David Simpson, Ph.D.
David Simpson, Ph.D. has had a 20-year career in Medical Physics. He married his wife Helen in 1997. They have 3 children: Alasdair, Eleanor and Catherine. Alasdair was born with aortic atresia, a variant of hypoplastic left heart syndrome or HLHS. In October 2007 Alasdair developed protein-losing enteropathy or PLE, a potentially fatal condition. Knowing no one else with PLE, Helen and David were frustrated. The heart and intestinal specialists didn’t work together, even though PLE is not uncommon in HLHS survivors. They felt isolated until they discovered the Children’s Heart Fund, which was committed to finding a cure for PLE. David flew to the United States to meet with Dr. Jack Rychik. David asked him questions for two hours about PLE and its in the CHD community. He flew to San Diego and met with Dr. Hudson Freeze. David concluded his trip by flying to New York and meeting with Tom Colson, another heart dad who dealt with PLE and was involved with the Children’s Heart Fund.