James Turnbull
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James Turnbull

  • trustee
  • patient
  • ward 3 staff

James has come full circle and is likely a world first - transplant patient to nurse on the ward where he was treated.

James is also a Trustee of the Bubble Foundation. He brings new ideas and perspectives to our board, contributing to discussions on everything from funding and fundraising to the care of families.

James Turnbull, age 21 from Cramlington (September 2024), has an inspiring story. As a small child James was diagnosed with Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD). The disease means that the immune system is not working correctly, leading to increased susceptibility to infections which can be critical. James had a lot of time off school and remembers lots of hospital appointments. In August 2012, when he was 9 years old, James was a patient on ward 3 at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle where he underwent a bone marrow transplant. This is a major procedure which required a seven week stay in an isolation ‘bubble’. James remembers the ward play team fondly as they provided such good distractions to everything happening to him. Happily, James’s transplant was successful, but as he says “there is still always a hospital appointment in my future”.

James was so inspired by his time on ward 3 that he has just graduated from Sheffield University, as a Pediatric Nurse. In a wonderful turn of events, he is now a nurse on the very same pediatric bone marrow transplant ward where he was a patient 12 years ago. Astonishingly there are quite a few staff there who remember him as a patient!

As if that isn’t enough, James is also now also the youngest trustee on The Bubble Foundation trustee board. James can bring a different perspective to both the trustee board and his work on the ward with his invaluable experience as both a young patient and a nurse. The Bubble Foundation is the charity connected to the bone marrow transplant . As well as funding life changing research to improve diagnosis and treatment of immune deficiencies, the charity also provides equipment and toys for those staying on the ward and supports parents during their difficult time away from home.