2 weeks Ago
The death of a successful tequila company founder has sparked a fundraiser to purchase a machine which may have helped save his life. James McDermott, from Brighton, died at the age of 47 on January 11, having suddenly been taken ill and admitted to the Royal Sussex County Hospital the day prior. Although doctors could not “put their fingers on exactly what was wrong with him”, James’s health began to decline after he contracted Covid19 during the pandemic.
Alexandra Ferguson, who is married to James’s friend and business partner Paul, said that James suffered from long covid and repercussions of the vaccine, but is currently a “mystery case”. After suffering from covid “really badly”, James, who previously was in “perfect health”, became ill after receiving the vaccine. James with his sons, Oscar and Flynn (Image: Supplied) Every time James developed a common cold, he would develop myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle – or pericarditis – inflammation of the skin surrounding the heart.
Alexandra said: “His immune system was altered somehow and so was attacking his heart every time he had a cold. “Doctors can’t confirm exactly what caused James to become unwell, but currently they are putting it down to the vaccine. The timeline suggests that’s what happened.
We don’t know for sure. “When his wife, Rachel, met with doctors the day after he died, she asked what could have been done differently. They said if the hospital had an EMCO machine, that would have been the next course of action.
“These machines seem really important but there are only eight in the whole of England.” In James’s honour, Alexandra and his wife Rachel are trying to raise £49,000 to purchase an ECMO machine (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation). An EMCO is an advanced life-support device which temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs, allowing patients in critical condition to stabilise and recover.
This option could have been offered to James had the Royal Sussex owned one. James' wife Rachel organised the fundraiser with Alexandra (Image: Supplied) James leaves behind Rachel, and two sons, Oscar, ten, and Flynn, eight. Together with Alexandra’s husband Paul, James founded Proof Drinks in 2007, building a portfolio of successful and international brands such as Cazcabel tequila.
Cazcabel Tequila became the largest independent Tequila brand in the UK and James and Paul had recently opened a major distillery in Mexico. Alexandra said: “He passed away after such a huge career achievement. “It’s heartbreaking to think that a city as large as Brighton doesn’t have access to this life-saving equipment and it’s crazy that there is a machine that is so amazing and we don’t have access to it.
“It’s not like it costs a million pounds, £50,000 is a reasonable amount. If everyone in Sussex donated a pound, we could get one. “This could happen to anyone, at any time—none of us ever expects to need it, but when the worst happens, having the right medical support can mean the difference between life and death.
“Something good could come out of this terrible situation.”.
