Latest news with #EastLondon
The Sun
4 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
Dad, 50, dies after being told his symptoms were ‘just a migraine' 11 times before slipping into an 8-month coma
A DAD died of a fungal brain infection after doctors misdiagnosed him 11 times. Qinghu Guo, 50, was seen by medics at multiple NHS and private clinics over five weeks and his condition was regularly dismissed as a migraine. 5 5 He only received the correct diagnosis after collapsing at home in front of couple's toddler. Qinghu, who had no known immune conditions, was eventually diagnosed with cryptococcal meningitis, a rare fungal infection that had already caused dangerously high brain pressure. He died in August 2024, leaving his wife, Yujiao Chang, 35, to provide for their son. She has now launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe, which has already topped £9,600. Yujiao, originally from Zhengzhou, China but now living in East London, said: 'I kept telling them it wasn't a migraine. 'He collapsed five times. I had to drag him off the floor. Even when a private neurologist suspected meningitis, the hospital wouldn't listen.' A coroner later confirmed the condition was extremely rare and said a combination of its rarity and 'medical confirmation bias' contributed to delays. He ruled that Qinghu's lumbar puncture - the test that confirmed the diagnosis - was only performed on his 12th medical visit. By then, he had already suffered brain swelling and required emergency surgery at the Royal London Hospital. He never fully recovered and died from complications in August 2024, after more than ten operations and eight months in a coma. 'MOST TRAUMATIC DAY OF MY LIFE' My son, 18, wrote his illness off as a hangover - hours later he was dead Qinghu first fell ill in October 2023. Both a private GP and an NHS GP initially prescribed antibiotics for what they believed was the flu. His symptoms worsened, and he was referred to A&E at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where he was diagnosed with migraines. Yujiao said: 'At the beginning, we trusted the doctors. 'My son was born in that hospital (Chelsea and Westminster Hospital). "But no matter how much we said the treatment wasn't working, they kept insisting it was just a different type of migraine.' Repeated scans failed to detect any brain abnormalities. 5 5 When Qinghu collapsed at home multiple times, Yujiao called 999 but each time she said paramedics saw his NHS file and followed the migraine diagnosis, sending him home. In desperation, they consulted a private neurologist who suspected meningitis and urged a lumbar puncture. Yujiao brought this diagnosis back to NHS doctors, but she says they refused to believe the private opinion. She said: 'Even after we had another expert tell them it could be meningitis, they said it was still just a migraine. "That made everything harder. When the ambulance came, they saw a note in the system about the private opinion and still didn't act.' On the fifth collapse, the paramedic refused to take Qinghu back to hospital, saying he had already been discharged multiple times. Instead, they arranged a video consultation. A hospital doctor saw his face via video call and immediately ordered an ambulance. That night, a CT scan revealed dangerously high brain pressure. A lumbar puncture was finally performed and confirmed cryptococcal meningitis - a diagnosis that came more than a month after symptoms began. Qinghu was rushed into intensive care and underwent multiple brain surgeries. 'Look after our son' In December 2023, during junior doctor strikes, he deteriorated again and began vomiting and passing blood. Yujiao says no doctor came to see him and later that night, his heart stopped. She said: 'He hugged me and said: 'Look after our son.' Fifteen minutes after I got home, my boy woke up screaming, 'No Daddy'. 'Then the hospital called to say his heart had stopped.' Qinghu was resuscitated three times but never regained full consciousness. He briefly woke for three weeks, able to squeeze Yujiao's hand and kiss her, before slipping back into a coma and passing away in August 2024. 5 At the same time, Yujiao's toddler son was diagnosed with a tumour and had to undergo two major operations. She said: 'I held him as he went under anaesthetic, then got a call from the hospital saying my husband was dying. I had to run between operating rooms.' Yujiao says her son is healthy now, but doctors have warned he remains at high risk of developing another tumour. 'At his last follow-up in December 2024, they found calcium deposits still in his body,' she explained. 'They told me he's not in the clear - he'll need scans every six months until he turns 18. I have to watch him carefully. It's something we'll be living with for years.' 'I've lost my husband, my home, and nearly lost my child' Yujiao's stress was compounded by financial hardship, as she was forced to abandon a children's project she had secured £1m in investment for due to her husband's illness. As a result, she says she had to personally absorb all the costs of cancelling the project, which, with no income at the time and added to other expenses, led to her bankruptcy. Yujiao poured her savings into legal fees, medical treatment, and basic living costs. 'I went from running a small business to sleeping beside my son in the hospital,' she said. 'I've lost my husband, my home, and nearly lost my child.' With no family support and no access to benefits due to her visa, she was left to face it all alone. 'I don't want charity. I just need time to get back on my feet,' she added. Yujiao is now rebuilding her life through livestreaming and photography. One of her grief videos has already reached nearly a million views on Chinese social platform Red Book. The family has secured a solicitor and is pursuing a legal claim. What is cryptococcal meningitis? Cryptococcal meningitis is a rare but serious brain infection caused by a fungus called Cryptococcus. The Cryptococcus fungus is commonly found in soil, rotting wood and bird droppings, particularly pigeon poo. People become infected by breathing in the fungal spores. In most healthy individuals, it causes no symptoms, but in those with low immunity, the infection can spread to the brain and cause meningitis. It mainly affects people with weakened immune systems, such as those with: Advanced HIV or AIDS Certain cancers People on long-term immunosuppressive treatment (e.g. post-transplant) What are the symptoms of cryptococcus meningitis? This type of meningitis comes on slowly - over days or weeks. Watch for: Persistent headache Fever Stiff neck Confusion or drowsiness Blurred or double vision Nausea or vomiting Sensitivity to light In some cases, seizures Treatment options Treatment involves strong hospital-only antifungal drugs. Without treatment, cryptococcal meningitis is often fatal. Even with treatment, recovery may take months, and some people are left with long-term effects like memory or vision problems. Sources: NHS, British Infection Association, CDC A coroner ruled in January 2025 that Qinghu died from cryptococcal meningitis and noted that he presented 12 times across NHS and private care before a diagnosis was made. The delays were attributed to confirmation bias and the rarity of the condition. The coroner did not identify failings by individual doctors. However, Yujiao said the first doctor to misdiagnose her late husband, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, had 'refused' to listen to her concerns. 'He stated that he would force my GP to follow up migraine headache, and wrote in capital letters on the discharge letter that it was medication overuse headache,' she said. 'This misled and delayed a series of critical ambulance interventions. 'Even after my husband had already died from cryptococcal meningitis - an established fact - this doctor still insisted in front of the coroner that he had made no diagnostic error. 'His arrogance and refusal to admit fault destroyed our family.'
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A new show in London is retelling the story of Elvis through immersive theatre
A new show in East London is taking audiences on an immersive, multi-sensory journey through the highs, lows and hip thrusts of the King of Rock & Roll's legendary career. Held at Immerse LDN, "Elvis Evolution" blends live actors and musicians with cinematic effects, pulsating sound, and sets that shimmer and transform around its visitors. "We've been working on the show for nearly two years now, and we've got 220 LED panels, we've got 180 speakers, we've got a cast of 29, we've got endless amounts of technology and people involved in this show from all across the world," said the show's writer and director, Jack Pirie. Footage shot in Memphis earlier this year is also projected onto a huge screen, featuring actors Alexander Bayles as a young Elvis and King J. Henry as his childhood friend Sam Bell - grounding the story in the people and places that shaped the icon. "For me, Elvis represents this idea of the power of music to transform lives, to bind communities, and to kind of shape human experience," said Pirie. Created by Layered Reality - the team behind the cult hit "The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience" - "Elvis Evolution" opens its doors at Immerse LDN, Excel Waterfront, on 18 July. Check out the video in the web player above for a sneak peek of "Elvis Evolution."
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
London council to spend £10m building children's homes
Teenage girls in the care of an east London council are being placed in unregistered and inappropriate homes due to a lack of suitable places, it has been and Dagenham Council is spending about £1.9m a year on housing just 20 children deemed to be at high risk of harm to themselves or council said it was reliant on "placements in unregistered/inappropriate registered provisions", according to a new have now approved plans to build three new specialist children's homes in the borough for up to 16 children at a time. 'Psychologically informed care' Jane Jones, the councillor in charge of children's social care, said: "Our aim is to improve care for our children with complex needs, especially girls under 16 who are, or are at risk of, being subject to a deprivation of liberty order due to their multiple complex needs - and whose needs are not being met by the private market."A deprivation of liberty order authorises the restriction of a child's liberty when a court judges them to be at high risk of harm - it can include 24/7 supervision, limitations on movement, and Jones said the borough wanted to reduce its reliance on "unregulated and expensive out-of-borough placements and improve outcomes and stability by providing local, regulated, psychologically informed care".The council says building the three homes, on council-owned land, will cost more than £10m. Ms Jones said the Department for Education had offered to fund half of that sum with a grant, although a formal agreement has not yet been signed.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘High-tech' Elvis show SLAMMED by furious fans as they compare it to flop Willy Wonka experience
A 'HIGH-tech' Elvis Presley show has been blasted by fans who say it involved grainy video clips while an impersonator danced on stage. Some attendees were expecting cutting-edge holograms to rival the smash hit Abba Voyage virtual gigs. 2 But it has since been compared to last year's Willy Wonka experience flop by furious audiences. Elvis Evolution promised a dazzling journey through the King of Rock and Roll's life when it opened at the ExCel in East London this month. However, disappointed punters who paid up to £300 for VIP tickets claim there was no 3D avatar — just an actor dancing in front of video clips of the icon. Chas Johnson, 48, said: 'The whole thing is lamentable. "But where it goes really wrong is where there was meant to be something akin to Abba Voyage with a hologram of Elvis, the focal point, that's completely missing.' Another attendee said: 'People were looking around and thinking, 'Is this it?'.' Others compared it to the Wonka show in Glasgow where an immersive experience left kids in tears. An Elvis Evolution spokesman said plans for a hologram concert announced in early 2024 were dropped during development. But they insisted this was 'made clear when tickets went on sale' and the show has been 'praised by fans and newcomers'.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
ABBA Voyage arena set to be demolished as developers unveil plans for housing estate
ABBA Voyage has been a huge success since its launch three years ago, but now the Swedish group's digital avatars are set to be kicked out of their East London arena. I can reveal plans have been drawn up to make way for a 1,000-home neighbourhood, which would mean the venue, constructed especially for the concert spectacle, will be demolished by the end of the decade to make way for apartment blocks. 2 2 The news is likely to devastate fans, as the group have said the concert — using state-of-the-art technology to show a younger version of the group on stage — is the closest anyone will come to seeing Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Bjorn Ulvaeus perform together again. It also scuppers hopes the Spice Girls could take over the arena, in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, after The Sun revealed the girl group have been planning to create their own similar digital residency. The concert is currently booking up until January 2026, although it is expected to continue for longer. The show's CEO and executive producer Michael Bolingbroke previously said: ' ABBA Voyage will certainly run for another couple of years and hopefully longer — in an ideal world we'd stay for ever.' Building work on the first two phases of a major new estate is scheduled to start next year just metres away from the arena. Real loss That will include construction on the site of the nearby hotel and bar Snoozebox, where revellers often congregate after the performances and which only has permission to stay until the end of 2025. The first homes on the site are scheduled to be completed in 2028, but earlier this year, ABBA's Bjorn said he believed the arena could remain until 2029. He explained: 'We are allowed to stay in our venue till 2029, but sales might drop, you never know.' The arena was originally built as a moveable venue, but the band later admitted they hoped the show would stay in the area. During its run, ABBA Voyage has attracted more than two million visitors and has contributed £1.4billion to the UK economy. A spokesperson for ABBA Voyage said: 'We are in constant dialogue with the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham Council about our lease and we welcome the opportunity to stay at the arena for as long as viable. 'At present, there are no plans for any changes to be made.' It would be a real loss for it to go, but it's certainly been a massive triumph.
