A runner who spent five days in a coma after suffering a pulmonary embolism during a race in 2019 has just completed the London Marathon for the hospital that saved her life. Beth Mullan Feroze, a lawyer from Highams Park, north-east London, was given “very low” odds of survival after collapsing soon after the race.
Seemingly fit and healthy, Beth began to struggle with breathlessness mid-race, and later collapsed unconscious at home. Husband Pete, who works in marketing, called an ambulance and she was rushed to St Bartholomew’s Hospital, where she was placed in a coma to protect her organs from shutting down.
The 34-year-old woke up in intensive care five days later and was shocked to learn she had a prothrombin gene mutation, also known as a Factor II mutation. This increases the likelihood of suffering potentially lethal blood clots, with Beth having suffered a pulmonary embolism - a blocked blood vessel in the lungs.
However, just three years on and Beth has got back doing what she loves, completing Sunday’s London Marathon in four hours. Issues started to arise for Beth while training for another marathon in October 2019.
“This (was going to) be the third marathon I’d done, which was due to take place in November 2019,” she said. “I did a half-marathon in Victoria Park in London as part of my training but I’d not felt great leading up to it.
“My right calf was really tight but I did my warm-up run and I was struggling to catch my breath. Despite that, I decided to go ahead with the race.”
Just two kilometres into her half-marathon, Beth was pulled to one side by staff, later saying: “I must have looked visibly distressed because they took me out of the race and wanted me to get checked (by medical staff at the scene). They seemed happy enough and told me to go home and rest.”
She duly made an appointment with her GP, who thought her breathlessness could be a result of a chest infection, and she was prescribed antibiotics. Beth added: “I was getting worse instead of better and my leg pain was getting so bad that I had to start using crutches but I didn’t make the connection between my leg and breathing issues.”
Then, on October 22, Beth lost consciousness once more, on her own at home. She added: “I don’t really remember much but my husband couldn’t get hold of me and he was very worried, so he called an ambulance.
“By the time he got home, the paramedics were helping me get back into bed, but my husband insisted that something was seriously wrong. I remember vaguely that they took me into the ambulance and checked me over.
“My oxygen levels were at 40 and that’s when they realised I was in danger.” Beth was then rushed to Whipps Cross Hospital before being transferred to the Royal London Hospital for a thrombolysis procedure.
She was finally placed in a medically induced coma and transferred to St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Beth continued: “My parents were in France and they were told to come home because they didn’t know if I was going to make it through the night.
“My chances of survival were considered to be very low at that point.” Having suffered a pulmonary embolism, blood clots were found in both her legs and lungs.
However, it was only at a follow-up appointment that Beth learned the extent of what had happened, after being discharged on her tenth day in hospital. She said: “The whole ordeal was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.
“I’d never heard of a pulmonary embolism before and, while I had heard of blood clots, I never thought someone like me who is young and healthy would suffer from them. After further testing, doctors found out that I have a gene mutation which means I’m more likely to have blood clots.
“It’s just lucky that I’ve always been really healthy and never smoked, because this could have been so much worse.” On the day she left hospital, Beth got a Maltese-cross puppy called Bart, named in honour of the hospital which saved her, with Beth adding: “the pup has been by my side throughout my recovery.”
Upon being discharged, she and her husband moved back in with her parents in Derbyshire to aid her recovery. She said: “It’s taken a long time to build up my strength and start to be able to exercise again.”
Having made a full recovery, Beth was determined to get back running, and was keen to embark on another marathon. She completed the 26.2-mile route around the capital last Sunday in four hours.
She chose to raise money for the thrombosis unit at St Bart’s, with her family and friends cheering her from the sidelines. Beth said: “It’s a cause very close to me and has been a way for me to not only focus on getting my fitness levels back to where they were but also give back to the place that saved my life.”
