I'm a Doctor. But When My Wife Got a Deadly Lung Disease,Icouldn't Accept She Was Ill

Summary

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Dr CAMERON HUNTER, 41, works at the world-famous Papworth Hospital in Cambridge as a consultant specialising in lung problems. Yet, by a cruel irony, three years ago he lost his wife Naomi to the lifethreatening respiratory disease pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) - often misdiagnosed as asthma.

Here, Dr Hunter - who has two children: Calum, eight and Rona, five - talks to ADELE WATERS about the need for greater awareness of PAH, and the effect his wife's death has had on his life and work.

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Extract

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I'm a Doctor. But When My Wife Got a Deadly Lung Disease,Icouldn't Accept She Was Ill

HESITANTLY, I handed my colleague Naomi's medical notes - desperately willing her to confirm that my wife did not have the life-threatening condition I feared. I stood there, hoping against hope, while she examined Naomi's most recent test results. But, deep down, I knew what the verdict would be.

After a while, she looked up and confirmed: 'This patient has pulmonary arterial hypertension.' I was having difficulty keeping myself together and she caught the disappointment in my face. She checked the name and age on the file and made the connection.

'Is this your wife?' she asked. 'I am so sorry.' Then she instantly went into practical mode, organising things. It was what I ne...

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