Flu pushed fit midwife, 44, into ICU

A MIDWIFE who feared “dying” in intensive care after she caught flu just days before her winter jab is urging others to get theirs.

Martyne Drinkall, 44, always books a flu inoculation, given the nature of her NHS job.

But this year, she fell ill with flu days beforehand – before being rushed to A&E and then intensive care at her own Leighton hospital in Crewe, Cheshire.

She said: “In the ICU, I was shouting ‘I am dying’. I was so scared, but I eventually turned a corner and I am getting stronger each day.

“I have never had flu before and, if I am honest, I never thought it would happen to me.”

Encouraging others to heed her warning, she noted that this year’s flu may pose a huge risk to the old and vulnerable if it hospitalised a healthy, fit person like her.

She added: “If I could save one person from going through what I did, I’d be very happy.”