A father of three who was left in a coma and nearly died after catching flu is urging others to get vaccinated.

Aaron Clark 42, a garage-owner from Sutton-in-Ashfield, spent 16 days in an induced coma in King’s Mill Hospital’s intensive care unit as a result of flu in December last year. He was on a ventilator to help his breathing and a dialysis machine as his kidneys weren’t working properly. 

Aaron said: “One of the first things I remember when I came round was a doctor saying to me ‘well done, we don’t have many people come back from as far as you did’.

“I had a really close call.” 

Now Aaron, who had no underlying medical conditions and considered himself to be fit and healthy, is backing calls from doctors and the NHS for eligible people to take up the offer of a free flu vaccine.

He said: “I felt not quite right on the Saturday. On the Monday and Tuesday, I was in bed with what felt like flu symptoms. On the Wednesday I had what I thought was a rash, which prompted my partner Alix to ring 111 and they told me to go to the GP
. 
“When I got to the GP my blood oxygen levels were 72% (95% to 100% is considered normal). The reading was so low that the doctor tried three different monitors because they thought the equipment wasn’t working properly.

“Within a few hours I went from thinking I had a nasty cold to being in an induced coma and on a ventilator in intensive care. I didn’t appreciate how serious flu could be.”

You can watch Aaron’s story here.

Ward Leader Phaedra Kay, whose team cared for Aaron while he was in the intensive care unit, said: “Aaron had multi-organ failure when he came to us and he was very seriously ill. He’s a fit and well gentleman normally and he developed a very serious type of flu, which can be extremely life-threatening for some patients.”

Aaron admits that it is difficult to put everything that happened during his illness in the correct order and he is grateful for diaries and journals kept by the hospital and Alix. He recently visited the intensive care unit to meet some of the team who cared for him to help him fully understand the time he spent in hospital and to thank the team involved in his recovery. Alix, a local artist, presented some beautiful bespoke paintings which now take pride of place in the unit.

It’s been a long journey to become well again and Aaron’s recovery is still continuing- the knock-on effects of being ill for so long were in his opinion the worst part.

Having lived through the experience, Aaron has vowed to get his flu jab this year – and is urging others to do the same.

Aaron said: “I’d never had the flu before – in fact I’d barely even had a cold and hadn’t needed to visit my GP since 2017.

“It was a shock just how serious it can be and how quickly everything escalated - from thinking I might stay in bed for a little while to being whisked off in an ambulance and put to sleep.

“It shocked a lot of my family, friends and colleagues when they heard that flu was the reason I’d been so unwell and out of action for four months.” 

Respiratory Consultant Dr Mark Roberts explains, “While influenza is a mild illness for most people, it can cause severe illness and can be life-threatening, especially in the elderly and others who are vulnerable.  Having the vaccine often reduces symptoms if you are affected by the virus.  The vaccine is very effective at preventing the spread of the virus within the community.  This helps us to protect our patients and families.”

The NHS is reminding people that the flu vaccination is the best protection against becoming seriously ill. It is free for those most at risk, including older adults, young children, pregnant women and people with certain health conditions. 

Flu vaccines are available at GP Practices, community pharmacies and school vaccination services. You can find out more information about eligibility here.