Mum’s asthma meant she missed her flu jab – what happened next still haunts me
Mum’s asthma meant she missed her flu jab – what happened next still haunts me
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Holding the phone in my hand, I began to tremble as the doctor gave me the dreadful news: my mum was in a coma. Just days earlier, she’d been excitedly chatting away to me and my sister about Christmas and how much she was looking forward to spending it with us.
![[Cathy Hateley - The one year my mum didn't have her flu vaccine, she died]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235919373-ce07-e1736851362960.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Now she was lying in a hospital bed fighting for her life and all because of the flu. My mum, Pam, was only 56 and while most people her age recover from flu with no issues, it was a bit more complicated for her. As a child, Mum was diagnosed with severe asthma which meant that even a cold could hit her hard. However, she had always managed her condition well.
![[Cathy Hateley - The one year my mum didn't have her flu vaccine, she died]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235919377-e66f-e1736851551925.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Then, aged 40, she got pneumonia, which caused long term damage to her lungs and, from then on, made her asthma much worse. She was in and out of hospital a lot and even had to be put into an induced coma twice because her asthma got so bad. As teenagers, it was very worrying for me and my sister to see her go through all that. I remember feeling so helpless and afraid.
![[Cathy Hateley - The one year my mum didn't have her flu vaccine, she died]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235919376-202e-e1736851685785.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
By the time I was 18, Mum struggled so much with her breathing she had to use a wheelchair to get around and as she and my dad had split up it was down to me and my sister to help Mum when she needed it. With nebulisers and oxygen at home, she continued to manage as best as she could but would need to go into hospital whenever she got a chest infection or cold because it would cause her to cough a lot and struggle to breathe.
