Jacob Dawson's perspective on life shifted by near-fatal blood clot

Jacob Dawson's perspective on life, the universe and rowing has been shifted by a blood clot that nearly killed him. The Plymouth-born Olympic bronze medallist contracted Covid-19 in April 2022 and one night, sitting at the desk in his room doing life admin, felt some discomfort in his rib.

Ad «It felt quite strange but I thought I'd take some paracetamol and try to sleep it off,» he said. RowingNew rowing star Henry having to grow up quickly after GB selectionAN HOUR AGO «Five minutes later I was lying on the floor, couldn't breathe, couldn't speak.» The 29-year-old puts his body through hell on a daily basis in one of the most gruelling sports around but he's unequivocal: «It's the worst pain I've felt in my life.» His girlfriend drove him to A&E where he was misdiagnosed with stressed ribs and sent home.

A week later, when Dawson had tested negative for Covid and returned to his training base at Caversham, British Rowing physio Steve Leonard found that his condition had deteriorated. «Steve kept telling me to breathe and I was like, 'I'm breathing as much as I can, I don't know what to tell you.' »It turns out the bottom part of my lung had collapsed." Dawson was rushed to a private clinic in London and there it was confirmed that he had suffered a pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening blood clot.

«In moments, everything was shattered, but my mind was just in survival mode. »The hardest thing of it all was having to tell my mum while it was going on.

I just emulated what the doctor told me, I didn't know how to have that conversation. «Of course there were tears — but I'm grateful that I'm here to tell the story.» After blood thinners, three weeks of bed rest and two months away, Dawson returned to his old life at