Terry Omara, a 60-year-old former cab driver from Sutton, was focused on staying fit and healthy. While caring for his elderly mother, he used to walk the length of a marathon every other day.
Back in 2020, he faced a serious struggle with Long Covid.
He battled pneumonia and sepsis during that time but made a full recovery by 2021. He said he was feeling good again and had returned to his active routine.
Then in 2022, things took a different turn.
Mr. Omara received the Moderna vaccine and said that not long after, he began experiencing constant pain and extreme tiredness. According to him, the symptoms came on suddenly and didn’t improve with rest.
He found it hard to do basic tasks like lifting a shopping bag.
Even regular activities became difficult.
Mr. Omara shared that he now only manages to wash once a week and leaves the house occasionally. After visiting a specialist in 2023, he was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
He believes the timing points to the vaccine as the possible cause of his condition.
“There’s nothing else that changed around that time,” he said.
Before 2022, he had been healthy enough to walk long distances and care for his 88-year-old mother. But he now says he feels worse than people much older than him.
“I couldn’t get out of bed some days,” he said. “The tiredness is still there, though the pain has eased slightly.”
He now tries to plan his days carefully.
Most of the time, he stays home.
He shops once a week and limits how much he lifts or carries. He says he tries to stay clean, but even taking a shower takes a lot of energy.
“I manage what I can, but I’ve had to adjust everything,” he said.
Though the exact cause of his condition hasn’t been confirmed, Mr. Omara believes the sudden change in his health started in 2022.