Woman fears her life won’t be a ‘priority’ to doctors deciding who should be given ventilators

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Disability advocate, 26, with lung disease reveals she’s ‘preparing to die’ because her life won’t be considered a ‘priority’ by doctors deciding who should be given ventilators

  • Lucy Watts, 26, has penned a series of blogs about the casualties of covid-19 
  • Advocate from Essex, suffers a life-limiting condition requiring 24-hour care
  • Fears her life won’t be a priority if doctors choose who’s given virus treatment 

By Latoya Gayle For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A woman who suffers from serious life-limiting health condition, has penned a series of personal blog posts revealing that she’s had to prepare herself to die if she contracts coronvairus.

Lucy Watts, 26, who lives in Essex, and has an undiagnosed, progressive neuromuscular disease, is concerned that her life won’t be considered a ‘priority’, if doctors are made to choose which coronavirus sufferers are given life-saving treatment including ventilators.

The disability advocate receives 24-hour care because of her condition, which causes problems including multiple organ failure, restrictive lung disease and respiratory muscle weakness.

‘On the clinical frailty scale, I’m a 7 or even 8,’ she said. ‘They don’t save people at that level, when forced to choose between them and a person with less needs and a higher survival rate. 

Her candid perspective comes as the British Medical Association (BMA) revealed that doctors are being prepared to make ‘brutal’ decisions and priorities treating those who are most likely to recover. 

Lucy Watts, 26, (pictured) who lives in Essex, has penned a series of blog posts revealing that she’s preparing herself to die if she contracts coronavirus 

Lucy is currently self-isolating for a minimum of 12 weeks with the support of intensive care nurses and her mother, but the nurses could be recalled to the NHS at any time. 

The 26-year-old who is counted among the top ten most influential disabled people in Britain, boasts over 7,000 followers on Twitter for her work as an activist. 

She argues that she’s more than ‘proved’ her worth, from receiving an MBE for services to young people with disabilities to becoming a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts for her commitment to disability rights.

‘Whilst the decision not to go to hospital in the first place is mine, the decision about treatment for COVID in my case isn’t within my control.

Lucy (pictured) who sufferers from an unnamed condition that causes problems including multiple organ failure, restrictive lung disease and respiratory muscle weakness, has praised the NHS for giving her the opportunity to already live an 'amazing life'

Lucy (pictured) who sufferers from an unnamed condition that causes problems including multiple organ failure, restrictive lung disease and respiratory muscle weakness, has praised the NHS for giving her the opportunity to already live an ‘amazing life’

‘I have to accept my life will not be saved,’ she wrote.

Lucy has survived sepsis 14 times and believes it’s evident that, despite having a fragile body, she can survive life-threatening events such as the coronavirus if she contracts it.

‘It’s a funny head space to be in, feeling like I want to live at all costs, but knowing extensive efforts to prolong my life– if anyone would do it in the first place – could have an offset cost of someone else’s survival,’ she said. 

What is the clinical frailty scale?

The NHS in England identifies people, aged 65 and over, who are living with moderate and severe frailty using a population-based stratification approach using several assessment tools. 

 One of these is the Clinical Frailty Scale, devised by Dalhousie University in Canada, which rates people’s physical condition on a scale of one to nine. 

1. Very fit – People who are robust, active, energetic and exercise regularly

2. Well: People who have not active disease, but aren’t as active as those in category 1.

3. Managing well: Has well-controlled medical problems and not regularly active

4. Vulberable: Not dependent on others but find their symptoms limit activities and cause tiredness

5. Mildly frail: Impairs activites and need help with things such as heavy housework

6. Moderately frail: Need help with all outside activities and many indoor activites. May need help with dressing

7. Severely frail: Completely dependant on others for person care, but not at high risk of dying

8. Very severely frail: Completely dependent and approaching end of life. At risk of death from minor illness

9. Terminally ill: Approaching the end of life, or with less than six months to live – even if not otherwise evidently frail

 

The disability advocate argues that her life is worthy and valuable, but she understands that within the current crisis people on the frontline will have to make heart-breaking decisions.

Lucy admits to having a host of ideas and plans including to change policies and to educate others. 

However, she’s gone through the stages of grief in trying to process that she may not be given the opportunity to see her goals come to pass.     

Dr John Chisholm who is the chair of the BMA’s medical ethics committee, has predicted that decisions medical practitioners will have to make over the next coming weeks will cause ‘anger and pain’.

He said: ‘Despite heroic efforts to increase supply – and reduce demand – there may come a point where the pandemic will simply overwhelm intensive care beds, ventilators, ECMO life-support.’ 

Reflecting on the announcement, Lucy ended her blog praising the NHS for having cared for her throughout the years and already providing the support she’s needed to live an ‘amazing life’.

She added: ‘My life matters now, and it matters after this. I’ve created a legacy to be proud of.’