Shane MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary has given an update on his health after his hospitalisation
(Picture: Victoria Mary Clarke/Instagram)Shane MacGowan hopes to return home for Christmas following his hospitalisation after contracting a deadly virus, his wife has said.
The Pogues rocker is due to celebrate his 65th birthday on Christmas Day, and his wife Victoria Mary has said she would like him back home in time, after he was taken seriously ill earlier this month.
MacGowan was rushed to hospital with viral encephalitis, an uncommon condition in which the brain becomes inflamed, and he also contracted shingles prior to his visit that spread to his eye, which Mary had first noticed before calling him in.
“I noticed it on his face. His eye was getting red and began to close over,” she recalled to the Sunday Independent.
“I called the doctor and the doctor said it was very dangerous so we had to get him to the hospital straight away.”
MacGowan underwent tests that revealed he had encephalitis, which, if not treated, can potentially lead to death in one in 10 patients.
“The hospital explained to me that shingles can go into your brain and that’s what happened to Shane so now they want to keep him in on a drip for two weeks,” Mary continued.
She went on to address the mental anguish she has faced since her husband was hospitalised, as she worries for his return to health.
Mary said: “It’s not so much of a challenge to stay positive and connected with your angels when life is going well and things are fun.
“But when the s*** hits the fan and you are challenged by illness or anything that disrupts your ease, it’s not going to be smooth sailing!
"Shane is in hospital now and I have been feeling the full range of feelings including desperate and hopeless and overwhelmed and anxious, and everything else that a human feels.”
Despite concerns, Mary shared that she and MacGowan still remain generally positive about his outcome.
She added: "But even if we collapse in a heap and cry our eyes out – there is always a part of us that knows that everything is going to work out and be ok."
