Gareth is no anti-vaxxer. But his wife's death certificate says she died from the AstraZeneca vaccine. After nearly three years of being ignored, he just wants her story to be heard

Gareth Eve needed nary reminder that his woman had died excessively young, but nan process of clearing her wardrobe provided 1 anyway. 

'It was each wrong,' he says. 'I remembered my dada doing it erstwhile my grandad died, but past they were sorting retired an aged man's suits and cardigans and stepping sticks nan benignant of things you should beryllium dealing pinch successful this situation.

'You aren't expected to beryllium faced pinch agleam bikinis, yellowish precocious heels, dresses that still person nan labels connected them and Kylie Minogue T-shirts.'

Lisa Shaw, an award-winning power presenter connected Radio Newcastle, was conscionable 44 erstwhile she died successful May 2021. Until she was admitted to infirmary she had been fit, patient and fizzing pinch nan benignant of power her occupation connected nan greeting show required.

Her devastated colleagues had to denote her decease connected air, but it was down to Gareth, now 43, to show their six-year-old boy Zach that his 'mam' wasn't coming home. 'I told him nan greeting aft Lisa died. It was nan hardest point I've ever had to do.

'He climbed into our furniture for a cuddle and I said nan doctors had tried everything they could but they couldn't make her amended again. He cried, but you don't cognize really overmuch kids understand.

'I'm not religious, but I told him Lisa was successful Heaven, which was a cleanable spot wherever she'd spot Grandad again, and Sally my dad's dog.'

Zach is now eight, still excessively young to person nan afloat facts of his mother's decease explained to him, but location is nary mobility what killed her. In August 2021, Newcastle Coroner Karen Dilks recorded that Lisa had died 'due to complications of an AstraZeneca Covid vaccination'.

'That connection AstraZeneca is connected her decease certificate,' points retired Gareth.

Lisa had been vaccinated connected April 29, but started processing headaches a week later. On May 13, she was admitted to infirmary wherever Gareth, reeling, was handed a print-out explaining what 'vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia' was.

It's a uncommon information ('but not uncommon capable that they didn't person a print-out,' he says) starring to clots connected nan brain.

At first doctors were assured they could dainty it, but connected May 16,

Lisa started to person reside problems. 'We were having a speech astir Zach's swimming lessons and she couldn't get retired nan connection "goggles".'

It was discovered she had suffered a bleed connected nan brain, and was rushed to room wherever portion of her skull was removed to easiness nan pressure. She ne'er recovered and spent nan past 5 days of her life connected a ventilator, arsenic her family gathered successful shock.

'I held her hand. It was each conscionable a haze. Apart from nan bandages, you wouldn't person been capable to show location was thing wrong.

'She looked arsenic if she was sleeping. She looked arsenic she ever looked perfect.'

A devastating calamity for 1 family, of course. But nan questions raised by Lisa's decease person overmuch wider implications.

And so, Gareth took a measurement which is nan balanced of lobbing a manus grenade into nan vaccine debate. He launched ineligible action against pharmaceutical elephantine AstraZeneca, joining forces pinch different 75 families who person besides mislaid loved-ones, aliases seen them severely abnormal aft having nan vaccine.

Lawyers opportunity nan payouts, should nan action beryllium successful, could scope seven-figure sums.

Who will ft nan bill? Not Astra- Zeneca. Under a ineligible indemnity that nan Government gave nan institution early successful nan pandemic (because of nan request to rotation retired nan vaccine fast), nan UK payer will person to pay immoderate compensation awarded. Gareth finds this astonishing. 'The thought that a supplier institution tin beryllium immune from immoderate ineligible work is staggering, but moreover if they are, what astir civilized responsibility?'

At his location successful County Durham, Gareth insists this action is not astir money ('because nary magnitude will ever bring Lisa back') but astir truth and justice.

'I person been trying to get answers from AstraZeneca, and from nan Government, since Lisa died. I person contacted my MP who didn't really want to know.

'I person asked questions of 3 premier ministers now, including Boris Johnson who was successful complaint astatine nan time, and I've been ignored, brushed off.

'I deliberation I'm an embarrassment to nan authorities because Lisa's decease was inconvenient for them. It challenges their communicative that nan vaccine was safe, and that immoderate consequence was truthful uncommon we shouldn't moreover talk astir it.'

Today, he is astatine pains to constituent retired that he is perfectly not an antivaxxer. He went connected to person 2 much doses moreover aft his woman died (although he had nan less-contentious Pfizer jab for them, and has agelong advocated group being capable to person an informed choice).

'I'm not anti-vaccine. I'm anti bulls***,' he says. 'I conscionable want answers. After Lisa died, I was contacted by a female whose hubby died from precisely nan aforesaid thing.

'He was treated successful nan aforesaid hospital, by nan aforesaid doctors, and ended up successful nan aforesaid high-dependency unit. What are nan chances of that, pinch a information that is expected to beryllium this rare?'

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was, of course, nan first Covid jab approved for usage successful nan UK successful December 2020, pinch nan Government ordering 100 cardinal doses for its vaccination programme.

A study by nan University of Oxford, published successful August 2021, estimated that for each 10 cardinal group vaccinated pinch Astra- Zeneca, location were 66 other cases of humor clots successful nan veins and 7 other cases of a uncommon type of humor clot successful nan brain.

The authorities proceed to stress its effectiveness, though it is worthy noting that nan vaccine is nary longer utilized successful nan UK. In August 2022, it was announced location were nary plans to bid further Astra- Zeneca vaccines for nan UK.

At nan time, nan Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said nan determination was down to a proposal by nan Joint Committee connected Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), that mRNA vaccines specified arsenic nan Pfizer aliases Moderna jabs should chiefly beryllium utilized for boosters alternatively than viral vector vaccines specified arsenic AstraZeneca.

A JCVI spokesperson said: 'The results of nan Cov-Boost proceedings conducted during nan summertime of 2021 provided bully grounds that mRNA vaccines are nan astir effective action for nan UK's booster programme.'

This week, a spokesperson for nan DHSC said: 'More than 144 cardinal Covid vaccines person been fixed successful England, which has helped nan state to unrecorded pinch Covid and saved thousands of lives.

'All vaccines being utilized successful nan UK person undergone robust objective tests and person met nan Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA)

strict standards of safety, effectiveness and quality.'

At nan clip of nan vaccine rollout, Lisa was thrilled to get nan telephone for her jab.

'She wanted to hug her mum again,' Gareth recalls. 'But she besides thought it was nan correct point to do, nan responsible thing. She'd seen immoderate friends and 1 of them had decided not to person nan vaccine, which she couldn't believe.'

Lisa was an intelligent and informed female she had studied publicity astatine assemblage but only aft she died did Gareth commencement questioning immoderate of nan conversations they had had astir nan vaccine.

Something that torments him coming is that, successful March 2021 conscionable weeks earlier they were called for their vaccines nan AstraZeneca vaccine was mired successful controversy. Other European countries, including France and Germany, had stopped utilizing it complete concerns astir humor clots. No siren bells rang. There was nary consciousness of hesitation successful their home.

'We watched it connected nan news and I retrieve having a speech pinch Lisa astir it, and america concluding that it was each astir Brexit nan Germans were irritated pinch Britain for leaving nan EU, truthful they weren't going to person a Britishmade vaccine.

'But now, I want to cognize what those countries saw successful nan reports that made them propulsion backmost connected AstraZeneca.

'Did Boris spot those reports excessively and cognize that group were going to die? Was my woman collateral damage?'

These are difficult questions but morganatic ones for immoderate grieving widower to ask. Gareth's frustrations are that, successful asking them, he has been made to consciousness arsenic if he has stepped retired of line.

At nan highest of nan pandemic, you could reason that it was successful nan nationalist liking not to substance fears astir vaccines. Now? Gareth says nan pendulum has swung excessively acold successful that direction.

'I went connected TV soon aft Lisa died, but I'd emotion nan opportunity to speak to nan likes of Lorraine Kelly aliases Holly Willoughby without them rushing to constituent retired nan "alternative view... nan safe and effective stats". There is nary statement astir this. My woman died!

'But group for illustration maine person been made to consciousness that we are crackpots aliases conspiracy theorists. It's a soiled secret. If you mobility it, you are accused of being an anti-vaxxer, aliases almost of being unpatriotic successful immoderate way.

'But we aren't crackpots. We are husbands and wives and families who conscionable want answers. Taking ineligible action now seems to beryllium nan only measurement of getting them.'

He argues that nan deficiency of nationalist sermon 'actually fuels nan crackpots, because if you person a void there, past it will beryllium filled pinch nonsense'. He has nary patience, either, for nan statement that successful unprecedented times, difficult decisions were and are basal for nan greater nationalist good.

'How situation they show maine that,' he says. 'Because nan determination I had to make was whether to fto my six-year-old boy travel to his mother's funeral.'

His condolences is still raw. He tells maine that he still sleeps pinch Lisa's T-shirt nether nan pillow, still wishes it was him who had died aft having nan vaccine, alternatively than Lisa.

'Zach would person been amended having his mam,' he says. 'At that age, children request their mums much than their dads. There is thing that tin return nan spot of a mammy hug.'

He and Lisa sewage together successful 2011, while some were moving for nan aforesaid power station. She was 1 of nan prima presenters; he worked upstairs, connected nan advertizing side. He admired her from afar, past 1 time sneaked down 'and said nan printer connected our level was broken, which was a lie'.

He could not judge that personification for illustration Lisa 'so bubbly, positive, vibrant' would beryllium willing successful him, but she was.

Zach arrived successful 2015; successful 2018 they sewage married. 'Life was perfect. She was perfect. She turned my life around,' he says. 'I suffer from anxiety, and conscionable having Lisa location made everything better.

'I ever opportunity that she knew maine amended than I knew myself. She gave maine nan instruction manual for life. My problem is that she took it pinch her.'

The realisation that Lisa was earnestly sick did not hap until rather late. She tried 'all nan accustomed things' erstwhile she started to create headaches a week aft her vaccine. When over-the-counter medicines didn't work, she consulted her GP, and ended up having humor tests which flagged a superior issue.

'It was astir her platelets being low. They sent an ambulance successful nan mediate of nan night, but moreover past location was nary panic astir it. She was up and dressed. She walked to nan ambulance. Her sister had travel to look aft Zach and she didn't moreover hug her. It didn't hap to immoderate of america that she wouldn't travel location again.'

Even arsenic things became desperate, he was possibly successful denial.

'It conscionable didn't look possible. I retrieve aft she had nan surgery, they were saying that if she did propulsion through, she mightiness not beryllium nan same. There could beryllium encephalon damage. I said, "We will woody pinch it, whatever".'

The full state was successful daze astatine Lisa's death, and nan reasons for it which were wide reported.

Memories are muddy now though, and Gareth says he perpetually feels nan request to 'prove' successful immoderate measurement that she died from nan vaccine. 'I consciousness I person to whip retired nan decease certificate aliases quote nan coroner.'

He contemplated termination nan Christmas aft Lisa died. What stopped him? Zach, of course.

'I saw a therapist who said she had treated children who had mislaid a parent, and they had gone connected to person happy lives, but she'd besides treated children who had mislaid a parent, past a 2nd 1 to suicide. They ne'er recovered.'

He is difficult connected himself, and it cannot beryllium easy coping pinch azygous parenthood amid specified grief, but Zach seems to beryllium thriving. There is simply a close-knit wider family, including Lisa's 3 sisters, 2 of whom unrecorded adjacent by.

How, arsenic a society, should we support families for illustration this, who person recovered themselves successful a dreadful predicament done nary responsibility of their own? There is charismatic nickname for families who person been affected by nan vaccine.

Those who person suffered sick wellness are entitled to financial support nether nan Government-run Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme. But this was not designed for Covid-related situations (it was launched successful 1979) and payments are limitedow req to £120,000 per declare and applications must beryllium terrible disablement.

Gareth was incredulous erstwhile he sewage nan exertion forms. 'There was nary action to opportunity your lovedone had died. It was each astir proving they were disabled.

'I had to amend my form. Even past it took complete a twelvemonth for them to salary out.'

The consciousness of injustice among each nan families successful this people action is strong. Some talk of emotion for illustration warfare veterans who were sent to nan beforehand line, did what was required of them by their country, and person now been abandoned.

Last week, nan British Medical Journal reported that, successful consequence to a Freedom of Information request, NHS Business Services (which operates nan Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme) revealed that it had received 4,017 claims relating to Covid vaccines. Of those, 334 were for a death.

Gareth's solicitor, Sarah Moore, a partner successful nan Hausfeld rule firm, 1 of 2 bringing this action, stresses that a ineligible action was a past resort. 'The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme is not working. It fails to supply those who person been bereaved aliases earnestly injured by vaccination pinch capable financial support, and of people it only pays retired wherever 60 per cent disablement tin beryllium proven.'

An AstraZeneca spokesperson said nan institution could not remark astir ongoing ineligible matters, but stressed that 'patient information is our highest privilege and regulatory authorities person clear and stringent standards to guarantee nan safe usage of each medicines, including vaccines.'

They added: 'Regulators astir nan world authorities that nan benefits of vaccination outweigh nan risks of highly uncommon imaginable side-effects.'

Whatever nan outcome, this will beryllium a difficult 1 to explicate to a small boy who has mislaid his mum.

Rare complication? 'It wasn't uncommon successful our house, was it?' says Gareth.

• A type of  this article was first published successful nan Daily Mail connected April 25 2023