'I’m terrified I, or my family, will catch it': Coronavirus fears of Scots swine flu victim

Sharon Muirhead with son Spencer, now aged 10, at home in Saltcoats, Ayrshire last week

An expectant mum who was so ill she was flown to Sweden during the swine-flu virus outbreak has spoken of her life since then and her fears over coronavirus.

Sharon Muirhead was just 25 weeks pregnant with her son Spencer when she lapsed into a coma at hospital in Kilmarnock during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009.

Treatment called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was needed to take over the work of her failing heart and lungs – but none was available in the UK.

A global call for a bed went out from doctors at Crosshouse Hospital where she was being treated. It was answered by specialists at the Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden and a medical team flew to Scotland to collect Sharon and fly her there.

The mercy mission saved the young mum from a certain death. Now, 10 years on, Sharon – who is now married and living in Saltcoats, Ayrshire – said: “It was a miracle my baby boy Spencer and I survived.

“I had been plunged deep into a coma after becoming hugely exhausted. Pneumonia had been diagnosed in my lungs and the doctors decided to put me into an induced coma to save me.”

Sharon, pictured with son Spencer and daughter Kieva

Pregnant women are susceptible to infection because their immune system lowers to allow their bodies not to reject their unborn baby.

“I cannot remember anything about being flown to Sweden but was confused when I woke almost four weeks later and didn’t know where I was.

“My husband Brian and dad James were at my bedside and my mum Ray was back home in Saltcoats looking after my daughter Kieva, two.”

“Spencer, now 10, survived thankfully, but with Asperger’s syndrome, Tourette’s syndrome, attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” Sharon said.

“We have been told these are the legacy of me having swine flu before birth. I still feel guilty that in some way I could have avoided it, even though doctors say it would have been impossible as at least one in five people got it.

“Spencer was also deaf, something we were warned about, but thankfully that cleared up after he was one.He is the most amazing son and we wouldn’t swap him for the world. He’s a real joy. Both our children are.”

Sharon is not surprisingly very concerned about the coronavirus outbreak.

“I am terrified I, or my family, catches the coronavirus because swine flu almost killed me.

“We are doing everything possible to keep it away – washing our hands, wiping door handles, avoiding crowds and carrying hand gel everywhere with us.”

And she worries that a outbreak may overwhelm existing ECMO services, which patients with severe respiratory failure might need in an emergency.

Scotland can now treat up to three patients at a time on ECMO machines at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, with the ability to increase this in an emergency, while child ECMO beds are available in neonatal intensive care in Glasgow.

She said: “I really hope there will be enough ECMO beds for anyone who needs one.”

Sharon keeps in touch with the team at Karolinska University Hospital, with cards exchanged at Christmas. Intensive care leader Dr Kenneth Palmér came back over to Scotland to visit Sharon and see Spencer after saving their lives. She said: “We were touched that he came all this way to see us.”

The Scottish Government said: “Scotland’s NHS is well equipped to deal with infections of this kind, with a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues, and we have been preparing for this possibility since the beginning of the outbreak in Wuhan.”