Kate Scott experienced a series of heartbreaking moments when she was called to the hospital three times to say her final goodbyes to her husband. Each time, she rushed to his bedside, prepared for the worst. She imagined a future where she would be a widow, left to raise their two young children alone, without her beloved spouse. But Jamie, her husband, proved to be a fighter. Despite a “catastrophic” brain bleed, he survived. However, he is not the same man he once was. He struggles to maintain his job, follow complex conversations, and his vision has been affected. Everyday tasks, like reading a book, have become challenging.
“We consider ourselves both lucky and unlucky,” says Kate. “We mourn what we have lost, but I am grateful that I can wake up next to him every morning.”
Jamie has no memory of the four weeks and five days he spent in a coma in the intensive care unit. “I don’t remember any of it. The only thing I can recall is waking up and seeing Kate,” he says.
Jamie is now a test case, the first person to file a damages claim against AstraZeneca in a groundbreaking legal action. If he is successful, it could open the floodgates for hundreds of claims and potentially millions of pounds in damages.
At the time of the incident, Jamie was 44 years old, fit, and healthy. He was an avid runner, regularly participating in 10km races. Like many others in the UK, he received the AstraZeneca vaccine at his local GP clinic in the West Midlands on April 23, 2021. The vaccine, developed at Oxford University, was being widely administered across the country.
There were already emerging reports of potential blood clots associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Two weeks prior to Jamie’s vaccination, the UK had halted its use in individuals under 30. However, Jamie wanted to protect himself and his family so they could visit his elderly father. He believed that as a young and healthy individual, COVID-19 posed little threat to him. Unfortunately, the AstraZeneca vaccine proved to be nearly fatal.
“We weren’t concerned about ourselves,” says Kate. “We were in good health. We didn’t smoke or drink excessively.”
Jamie adds, “I was simply following the government’s advice.”
When Jamie went for his first vaccine dose, he had actually requested the Pfizer vaccine, as he was vaguely aware of the potential risks associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, Pfizer was not available, as the government had purchased millions of doses from AstraZeneca.
For ten days after receiving the vaccine, Jamie felt fine and went about his normal life. Then, on the morning of May 3, everything changed. Jamie complained of fatigue, and Kate let him sleep in while she took their children downstairs for breakfast. An hour later, Jamie began vomiting, and Kate rushed upstairs to check on him. His speech was impaired, and he seemed disoriented. She feared he was having a stroke.
An ambulance was called, and Jamie was taken to the local hospital, where doctors suspected he had developed Vaccine-induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT). Recognizing that they lacked the necessary expertise to treat him, the hospital arranged for him to be transferred to Coventry hospital.
Jamie’s condition continued to worsen, and he became non-communicative. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Coventry hospital arranged for an air ambulance to transport Jamie to Birmingham for an emergency operation. However, due to a storm, the helicopter was unable to fly, and Jamie was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham by road. He became the third hospital to treat Jamie within a single day, and doctors there fought to keep him alive.
During the three-hour surgery, it was discovered that Jamie had suffered a catastrophic brain bleed. An MRI scan revealed extensive damage to an area of his brain, leaving behind dead tissue. Kate firmly believes that the vaccine was responsible for Jamie’s life-threatening condition and the subsequent brain bleed. The vaccine had caused a massive clot at the entrance of his brain and an internal bleed. Treating the clot risked exacerbating the bleed.
To alleviate swelling, Jamie underwent a craniotomy, where a portion of his skull was removed. He remained in a coma for four weeks and five days, relying on a ventilator and a tracheotomy. Due to strict COVID-19 regulations, Kate was largely prohibited from seeing her husband in the intensive care unit. Their children, ages four and eight months at the time, were unable to see their father for four months.
Kate was eventually granted permission to visit Jamie for an hour each week, but it was a difficult and emotionally draining experience. “I was luckier than others,” she says, trying to maintain a positive outlook despite the hardships. “Jamie is a medical miracle when you see the extent of the damage on his MRI scan.”
Talking about Jamie’s condition is both difficult and sad for Kate. She often speaks on his behalf. “I still get chills. He was my perfect partner, my ideal date,” she says. The most challenging aspect for Jamie now is his inability to fulfill his role as a father and husband. They have two energetic boys who love playing sports and being active, and Jamie can no longer participate. He remembers what life was like before but is constantly reminded of his limitations due to the size of the brain bleed.
Jamie, who was once in peak physical condition, appears outwardly healthy to the world. Kate wonders if it would be easier for others to understand his struggles if he needed a cane or some visible indication that he is unwell. He now takes medication, has undergone extensive rehabilitation, and struggles with concentration. He has lost the confidence to ride a bike and has had to give up his lucrative job in IT software development.
He confides in Kate, expressing his feelings of inadequacy. “I will never be able to do the things I used to…”
