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Lucy Tudehope came down with influenza A
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Developed into deadly pneumonia
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She encouraged Australians to receive the flu shot.
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EXPLORE FURTHER: Virus Cases Surge as Australians Prepare for Harsh Winter
A senior state member of parliament and his family have encouraged Australians to get the
flu
after his fit and healthy daughter nearly passed away.
Lucy Tudehope, a 25-year-old university graduate, caught the flu.
Sydney
that developed into deadly
pneumonia
In merely five days during February.
The daughter of
NSW
Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope first thought she was dealing with a typical cold and, intent on pushing through, tried to maintain her usual routine as much as possible.
Nonetheless, her condition deteriorated alarmingly when she tried to go to a workplace function on a Friday evening, resulting in her returning to her hotel room with nausea and vomiting.
Ms. Tudehope received antiviral medication via a telehealth consultation as her symptoms intensified over the weekend.
The tests showed she had contracted influenza A, and by Tuesday, she was so unwell that her mother, Diane, called for an ambulance.
The individual, who is 25 years old, was quickly taken to Ryde Hospital and put into an induced coma.
Physicians alerted Lucy’s relatives that she ‘might not survive’.
Ms Tudehope was subsequently moved to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where she was put on a life-support device called an ECMO, or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation machine.
ECMO devices are generally employed for providing short-term assistance to the heart and lungs.
Her family was taken aback by the rapid decline, which caught them entirely off guard.
“I simply believed she would only stay for about a week,” Mr Tudehope stated to the press.
Sunday Telegraph
.
Ms Tudehope’s eight brothers and sisters were all present as she fought desperately to stay alive, with some even traveling from abroad to be there.
One of Mr. Tudehope’s political opponents, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, also extended his support by reaching out to the family to express that he was praying for Lucy.
Lucy remembered coming out of her coma and finding one of her brothers beside her bed.
She inquired of him, “Was I close to dying?” To this, he responded, “Indeed, you were almost gone.”
Ms Tudehope remembered: ‘I was extremely emotional. It wasn’t until then that I realized just how ill I really was.’
‘It didn’t seem like a whole month. It truly felt as though I were having a dream.’
Following her emergence from a coma and after spending multiple weeks in the hospital, Ms Tudehope is now ‘relearning’ how to walk and faces an extensive rehabilitation journey ahead.
She currently has only one message for Australians who are following her.
‘Just get the vaccine.’
Mr. Tudehope reiterated his daughter’s request during an appearance on Nine News.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re fit or seem to be in good health; getting the flu along with additional complications can still put your life at risk,” he stated.
A yearly flu shot is advised for all Australians aged six months and older.
The vaccine is provided at no cost to Indigenous individuals above six months old, young children under five years old, expectant mothers, seniors over 65, and those who have an increased likelihood of developing severe illness.
Should you not qualify for a complimentary vaccination, you have the option to buy it directly from your general practitioner or at a nearby pharmacy.
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