Personal tragedy led Doug Evans, founder of Exton-based Kensey Nash, to change his business trajectory and become CEO of Vancouver-based Lungpacer Medical, writes Brian Gormley for The Wall Street Journal.
Evans’ career soared in June 2012, when the Chester County company that he founded was sold for $360 million. At the same time, his personal life took a tragic turn.
Two months before the sale was finalized, his son Cameron went on mechanical ventilation due to cancer. The machine kept the eighth-grader alive, but he had trouble weaning himself off breathing support.
He died in May 2012, three weeks after coming off the machine.
Evans was pushed by the experience to accept the role of Lungpacer’s CEO in 2014. In December, the company received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a device that helps patients regain their ability to breathe independently.
The company, which currently operates from the base in Exton, has brought its total venture funding to $157.8 million and is preparing for a 2025 launch of the treatment.
“I think about my son and I see him in a lot of these individuals who can’t get off ventilation,” he said. “I know we’re going to transform some lives.”
Read more about Doug Evans and his journey to Lungpacer Medical under tragic circumstances in The Wall Street Journal.
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