‘Our world has turned upside down. When I wake, Lucy’s the first thing I think about’
TRAGEDY AS MUM DIED THREE WEEKS AFTER JAB
Lucy Taberer received her AstraZeneca Covid jab in Leicester on March 19, but suffered increasingly serious side-effects. She ended up with blood clots and having a massive stroke, leading to her family having to make the decision to switch off her life-support 22 days later. Here recounts her tragic tale
Dan Martin
AMUM-OF-THREE from Leicester suffered from blood clots and a massive stroke weeks after getting her Covid jab. Lucy Taberer, 47, fell seriously ill after getting the AstraZeneca jab and developing a rare catastrophic reaction, her family has said.
Lucy’s heartbroken partner and fiance, Mark Tomlin, from Aylestone, told the Mercury about the devastating impact her death has had on him and their five-year-old son, Orson.
Mark said his intention in sharing the story was not to put people off having the jab, but just to raise awareness of potential risks.
He said Lucy, a playgroup leader, initially experienced mild and common side effects in the days after she was vaccinated at the Peepul Centre, in Belgrave, on March 19.
But her condition gradually worsened, causing her to be rushed into hospital and, despite the best efforts of medics to save her, she died 22 days after being vaccinated.
Mark said: “She knew there might be some side effects, but she wasn’t worried.
“We thought they would just clear up as most people’s do.
“She had a pain in her side so she went to see her GP who said it was kidney stones and prescribed her some painkillers.
“That reassured her and she didn’t think it was anything to do with the vaccine, but things just started to get worse and the panic began.
“She developed a bruise about the size of a tennis ball.
“Normally she had all the energy in the world but she became tired and lethargic.
“Then she got a really bad rash on her face and side.
“Her gums started to change colour and we got really worried.”
On April 1 - 13 days after her vaccination - Lucy was rushed to the Leicester Royal Infirmary where blood clots were diagnosed.
Doctors treated her with blood thinning drugs, but her condition worsened, and she suffered a massive stroke.
She was then transferred to the intensive care unit at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), but, despite surgery to save her, consultants said there was nothing more that could be done for her and recommended her life support be switched off on April 10.
Mark, a 57-year-old metal worker, said it was consultants at the QMC who said Lucy’s severe illness was likely vaccine-related.
Her death certificate says she died of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and vaccine-associated thrombosis with thrombocytopenia.
Mark said: “We were so happy and looking forward to the future and then suddenly I’m having to explain to Orson that his mummy has died.
“I’d already told him that Mummy had gone into hospital because she needed medicine. “Then I told him that the medicine hadn’t worked, and that Mummy couldn’t come home then a couple of days later I told him that she had died. “Our world has been turned upside down.
“Every day I wake up and Lucy is the first thing I think about.”
Mark said: “I don’t want people to be put off having a vaccine but I do want people to know that there are risks.
“We’re not anti-vax. Lucy certainly wasn’t - she was so excited about getting it.
“She’d stuck like glue to all the lockdown rules and saw the vaccine as a step to getting out again and seeing her and hugging her mates.
“She couldn’t wait to get it but obviously nobody thought this would happen.”
I don’t want people to be put off having a vaccine but I do want people to know that there are risks Mark Tomlin
Mark said that Lucy had had expressed some concerns about the process on the day she was jabbed, centring on how quick her vaccination had been carried out and that it had not been explained well to her.
He said he would have been happier if she had got her jab a GP surgery as he did.
He said: “I had my first dose (of Pfizer) at my GPs, where they were really good in talking through the process.
“I still don’t think I’ll get my second dose after everything that has happened.
“I’m not saying people shouldn’t get vaccinated. It’s every individual’s choice.
“I do know how rare it is for things to go so badly wrong, but it has happened to us and that has affected how I think about things myself.”
A spokesperson for the Leicester City NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, which is running the vaccination programme in the city, told the Mercury: “We were very sorry to hear of Lucy’s death, which is clearly very tragic and deeply upsetting for Lucy’s family and friends.
“All vaccination sites – temporary such as pop-ups or fixed – are subject to strict operating procedures covering all aspects of the service.
“This includes vaccine storage and handling, infection protection and control, workforce requirements and training, and have clinical supervision.
“The safety of patients is paramount and the operating process includes arrangements for consent, observation and responding to incidents.”
Mark’s daughter Leanne, 33, is now helping him care for Orson.
She stressed the family did not want to put others off having the vaccine.
“That’s not what this is about at all but we think it is important that people know what happened to Lucy and that cases like hers are not forgotten,” said Leanne.
Leanne said Lucy’s case had been reported to the government’s Yellow Card service ,where adverse reactions to vaccines can be recorded.
Mark has had to cut the hours he works by half since Lucy’s death to look after Orson and that has led to him struggling financially.
Leanne set up an online fundraising page to help with childcare and other costs and support Orson.
The initial target of £5,000 has been surpassed, and as of yesterday the total stood at £9,461.
Leanne said: “We have been blown away by the reaction and people’s generosity.”
If you would like to donate in Lucy’s memory, you can do so by searching “Lucy Taberer” at: