In February 2025, Lucy Tudehope was a healthy, active 25-year-old juggling a demanding career, regular netball games and a busy social life. Intensive care was something that happened to other people.

Within days, everything changed.

What started as flu-like symptoms quickly escalated. Despite taking antivirals, Lucy became increasingly unwell until she was struggling to breathe.

"I remember thinking, am I really that sick?" Lucy recalls. "It turns out I was."

Her mother called an ambulance and Lucy was taken to her local hospital, where she was diagnosed with severe pneumonia after coming down with the flu (Influenza A). Within hours, she had been placed in an induced coma and transferred to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Doctors warned Lucy's family that she might not survive.

As one of nine siblings, Lucy's family rallied around her. Brothers and sisters travelled from interstate and overseas, creating a roster to ensure that someone was always by her side.

"I think it was more traumatic for my family than it was for me," Lucy says. "I was asleep for four weeks. They were the ones waiting to see if I would wake up."

Lucy spent a month in a medically induced coma, including six weeks on ECMO, a form of life support that takes over the work of the heart and lungs. At one point, discussions were underway about the possibility of a lung transplant.

Then, remarkably, Lucy began to recover.

When Lucy woke, she had no understanding of how critically ill she had been.

Recovery was far from straightforward. Lucy spent another six weeks in intensive care, learning to breathe independently again, rebuilding her strength and adjusting to her new life. She later underwent rehabilitation to relearn everyday tasks and regain her independence.

Throughout it all, one thing stood out.

"The nurses at RPA were just some of the most incredible people," she says. "There was never a time when I felt neglected. They were patient, kind and helped me through everything."

Lucy also credits ICU diaries, completed by both nurses and family members, with helping her understand what had happened during the weeks she couldn't remember. They helped piece together her story.

Today, Lucy has returned to work, is back at the gym as well as playing netball and tennis and continues to rebuild her fitness. While fatigue and reduced lung capacity remain ongoing challenges, she is grateful for how far she has come.

Her experience has also changed the way she views intensive care.

"People don't really know what ICU is until they experience it," she says. "It's confronting and intense, but there is also so much beauty in the work that happens there."