A senior state MP and his family have urged Aussies to get the flu shot after his fit and healthy daughter almost died.
Lucy Tudehope, a 25-year-old uni graduate, contracted a flu in Sydney that developed into deadly pneumonia within just five days in February.
The daughter of NSW shadow treasurer Damien Tudehope initially believed she was coming down with a common cold and, determined to soldier on, did her best to continue life as normal.
However, her health took a worrying turn for the worse when she attempted to attend a work event on a Friday night, only to return to her hotel feeling nauseous and throwing up.
Ms Tudehope was prescribed antivirals over a telehealth appointment as her symptoms worsened over the weekend.
Tests confirmed she had influenza A and by Tuesday, she was so ill that her mother Diane called an ambulance.
The 25-year-old was rushed to Ryde Hospital and placed in an induced coma.
Doctors warned Lucy’s family that she ‘may not make it’.
Ms Tudehope was later transferred to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where she was placed on a life support machine known as an ECMO, or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation machine.
ECMO machines are typically used to provide temporary heart and lung support.
The quick deterioration came as a complete shock to her family.
‘I just thought she’d just be in for a week or so,’ Mr Tudehope told the Sunday Telegraph.
All eight of Ms Tudehope’s siblings were at her side during her desperate fight for life, with several travelling from overseas.
Even one of Mr Tudehope’s political rivals, NSW Premier Chris Minns reached out to let the family know that he was praying for Lucy.
Lucy recalled waking from her coma and seeing one of her brothers at her bedside.
She asked him, ‘Did I nearly die?’ to which he told her, ‘Yes, you nearly did’.
Ms Tudehope recalled: ‘I was very emotional. I had no idea how sick I was until then.
‘It didn’t feel like a month. It really felt like I was dreaming.’
After waking from her coma and spending several weeks in hospital, Ms Tudehope is ‘relearning’ how to walk and has a long rehabilitation process ahead.
She now has just one message for Aussies following her
‘Just get the vaccine.’
Mr Tudehope echoed his daughter’s plea on Nine News.
‘It doesn’t matter how fit you are, how good your health appears to be – if you get the flu and then other complications on top of that, that is life-threatening,’ he said.
An annual influenza jab is recommended for all Aussies aged six months and over.
The vaccination is free for Indigenous people aged over six months, children aged under-5, pregnant women, over-65s and those with a higher risk of getting serious disease.
If you are not eligible for a free vaccine, you can purchase the vaccine from your GP or local pharmacy.