The Collegiate Cambridge community stretches far and wide, reaching back through history and around the globe. And behind every member lies a personal odyssey and a unique story. 

The Platt family is no exception. With neither Cambridge connections nor an established philanthropic history, tragic circumstances led Nici and her husband, Mike, to the University’s Autism Research Centre, and an unexpected and warm relationship with Collegiate Cambridge, people and place. It inspired them to empower positive change by funding two PhD studentships in the critical field of autism research. 

Nici explains: “Our awareness of autism really didn't come fully into play until our son Mike J's diagnosis at the age of 30. This happened gradually because Mike J was very capable; he was working in the City as an assistant director in an insurance company, and he absolutely loved to travel, especially to unusual places. And so, on the outside, everything looked good.

Unfortunately, on the inside, it wasn't. Things began to go downhill when he was in his mid-40s, when both his mental and physical health began to deteriorate. He contracted a very severe case of hyponatremia, or low blood sodium. He recovered from this mentally but not physically; his heart was badly damaged, and he died of a heart attack in April 2024.” 

The connection between autism and heart disease is an area of active research. Understanding this relationship is crucial for improving health outcomes and ensuring that individuals with autism receive appropriate medical care to address their unique health challenges. 

According to the Autism Research Centre (ARC) in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, “Some autistic people face a greater risk for premature mortality. This is in part due to co-occurring health conditions.... It is also likely due to social barriers in healthcare that autistic people face." The ARC conducts research to identify if autistic people are more at risk of developing certain co-occurring physical health conditions and to evaluate the factors that could improve health outcomes

For the Platt family, upon Mike J’s untimely death, this became a deeply personal question. 

Nici says, “We decided that we wanted to use Mike J’s life insurance money to do something positive for the autism community that would benefit right across the board, no matter what age or where on the spectrum people were. I got in touch with Mike J's consultant, Dr Jeremy Broadhead, who had been a student of Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, and he said that Sir Simon is doing some great work in autism and to perhaps start there. We looked up the ARC and really liked what we saw and how it aligned with our own goals. That’s how the story of our gift began.” 

Early in 2025, Nici and Mike senior visited Trinity College to meet with Trinity Fellow Sir Simon. “Mike and I didn't go to university. We are 1950s babies; Mike just wanted to get out into the world and start earning, and it was never, ever dreamed that I would go to uni. So visiting Cambridge was an amazing experience. We both stood in the Porter's Lodge just wondering what on earth was happening!  

We met Sir Simon, and the atmosphere was one of such acceptance and understanding. He presented the selection of ARC projects for autism research, and when he mentioned the need to explore the relationship between autism and heart disease, it seemed the perfect fit and just what we were looking for. Not only are we a very neurodiverse family generally, but around the time that Mike J sadly died, my husband, who is also on the autistic spectrum, was diagnosed with heart issues. So, it was something that felt really important to us. 

“The sub-librarian, Steven Archer, then took us on a tour of the College Library and showed us a number of first editions. It was delightful and so memorable. I will never forget it. I feel so fortunate to have experienced something so special.” 

As a very personal touch, the Platts were even shown the accounts book used by Isaac Newton, as some believe Newton to have been autistic. 

Now, Omar al-Rubaie has been named as the first beneficiary of the Platts’ gift to establish PhD studentships in autism research, working under Professor Baron-Cohen in the ARC.   

Omar takes up the story: “Initially, I came to the ARC on an intercalated master's degree, researching autism and cardiovascular health. The preliminary results are showing that autism is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. We're just finalising the results for publication. The findings are very important, and there are a lot more questions to answer. I investigated transferring into the PhD (which, when combined with medicine, is called MB/PhD) to continue doing research in the area. Then almost by providence, this gift arrived at exactly the right moment.”