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My husband, Michael, was 47. He was the most wonderful and devoted husband and father. He was rarely unwell and never one to complain.
At the end of November 2021, he contracted Covid-19. Despite having received 2 vaccinations, very early on it became apparent that the virus had hit him hard. Whilst in A&E with the virus, a CT scan showed a dense area of shadowing measuring 11cm over Michael’s right lung. An appointment was made for him to have a PET scan at the Royal Marsden in Sutton but his condition deteriorated and he was admitted to Epsom General hospital and later to St.Helier ICU, where he spent approximately 2 weeks on a ventilator.
Although Michael had received 2 vaccinations, his bloods showed that his body had not produced sufficient antibodies to fight the virus. The consultant at St.Helier further explained that based on radiological evidence they concluded that the shadow on the CT scan was a thymoma. They believed this was causing further complications as he did not respond to treatment as expected. Despite the hospital’s best efforts, they were unable to save Michael and tragically, on 30th December, he passed away- a month after contracting Covid. Although the primary cause of death was covid-19 pneumonitis, a mediastinal thymoma was recorded as a secondary cause.
Since Michael’s passing, I have been reading about thymomas in an effort to understand and come to terms with his death. A thymoma was something that I had never even heard of. His life was taken far too soon. Raising awareness is needed for other people out there like Michael.
