A WOMAN woke up convinced she'd murdered her husband after contracting a rare brain infection following a clinical trial. Sharon Martin, 54, had her world turned upside down when she saw what she thought was a bloody crime scene in July 2021. She could vividly see blood all over the bedroom and the gun with which she thought she had shot her partner, Chris.
But there was nothing there, and Chris was sound asleep. Her screaming in fear of what she thought had happened roused Chris, who was "confused" about what was happening. After being reassured that Chris was okay, Sharon sat on the edge of her bed, feeling as if she could see herself from above being "controlled by a puppet.
" She was rushed to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, where she was told she had fluid and a cyst on the brain. Seven years earlier, Sharon underwent clinical trials on her brain to test the effects on her Parkinson's condition. She had a titanium port delivery system put into her brain behind her left ear which connected to a catheter, where she had monthly injections of GDNF - a growth protein.
Initially, it worked wonders for Sharon, completely stopping her tremors. But the trial ultimately failed because the results were inconclusive. The system was left in her brain, and seven years later, in July 2021, the infection took hold.
According to a report seen by the research director of Parkinson's UK , the infection had been leaking from the port system into the brain. While at the hospital, Sharon had the .