Tributes to 'one-of-a-kind' teen William Simpson

Tributes have been paid to a "one-of-a-kind" teenager who has died.

William Simpson, from Weston Coyney, Stoke-on-Trent was born with a heart condition, which led to him having a heart transplant at Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2023.

Following this, he worked to give back to those who had cared for him along the way and completed several fundraising challenges. He died in his sleep on 3 May, aged 19.

"The stories we heard of William have given our family so much strength and positivity - it's given us a purpose to get up in the morning," his mother Tracey Simpson told BBC Radio Stoke.

William was born with mitral valve stenosis, a rare heart disease which reduces the flow of oxygen-rich blood around the body.

Before the age of one, the former Painsley Catholic College student had undergone two open-heart surgeries and was put on the transplant list when he was two years old.

At nine, William was taken off the transplant list as doctors believed he would not be strong enough to survive the operation, but he defied their expectations and was placed back on the list in 2021.

Throughout his life, his strong sense of faith proved an inspiration to those around him, his parents said.

Tracey said: "It still feels as if he's just gone away on one of his pilgrimages and he'll be back again."

Describing the tributes received, his father Chris Simpson said: "The positivity from his work friends, children that he worked with, you can't help but laugh.

"You really don't want to laugh but it's a source of comfort."

William's fundraising efforts included a 5km (3.1 miles) run around his school's sports field in 2024.

And to mark the second anniversary of his transplant he cycled for nine hours, raising thousands of pounds for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

His mother added: "My face hurts from smiling too much at some of the different stories we've heard.

"Finding out that he sneaked out of class just to practice Mass with children and this cheeky disposition that he had."

The couple said: "The things we're finding out about him now are making us more proud than we already were."

Adam Reynolds, his former teacher, described William as "one of a kind".

"Seeing all of the comments that have come through to the Remembering Will group, every one of them are saying how he touched their lives," he said.

We were in deep shock when we first heard. He was just fun, he found the fun in everything and he was constantly asking to do fundraising challenges."

A fundraiser launched in his memory has raised more than £5,700 in donations.

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