NY Tourist Who Survived Bubonic Plague Dies
A man who nearly lost his life in New York City’s first instance of bubonic plague in more than 100 years died Wednesday of an unrelated illness in a Santa Fe, N.M., hospital.
John Tull, 65, was diagnosed with a rare cancer last month, but doctors didn’t believe it was connected to his previous health struggles.
In November 2002, he and his wife were on vacation in the Big Apple when both came down with flu-like symptoms including a fever and swollen lymph nodes. They were diagnosed with the plague, an exceedingly rare disease that wiped out a third of Europe in the 14th century. It was considered New York’s first plague case in more than a century, but doctors said they had likely become infected back home in Santa Fe.
While Lucinda Marker, Tull’s wife, recovered within days, he was hospitalized for more than two months. He fell into a coma and both of his feet were amputated.
With the case coming in the relative aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, speculation and scrutiny were rampant. Marker said she was questioned for days by a “parade of people” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FBI and New York City health officials.
“They thought we were possibly terrorists or victims of bioterrorism,” Marker said.
Dr. Ronald Primas, the New York physician who diagnosed and treated them, remembers the media frenzy surrounding their cases. “I did like 40 interviews in two days,” he said.
Dr. Primas said everyone wanted to know if there was evidence the plague was caused by bioterrorist activity or if it would spread.
“Had [John] waited another day, had he gone out into the public with the cough he had, theoretically he could have spread it,” Dr. Primas said.
Despite his hardships, Tull faced everything with humor and a cheerful attitude, Marker said. “He never stopped loving life — even after he woke up and had his legs amputated,” Marker said, adding that she intends to finish a book they were planning on writing together.
This article appeared in print on page 4 of edition of Hamodia.
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