'I almost died from the same condition as Meghan Markle' (2025)

Tash Oduro, 37, suffered from a condition that usually impacts women during the second half of pregnancy or soon after a baby is delivered

A mum who experienced pre-eclampsia, similar to Meghan Markle, described it as 'the scariest time' of her life, fearing she was 'going to die'. Tash Oduro, 37, and her husband of five years, Ekow, were overjoyed upon discovering they were expecting a child in September 2020.

The secondary school teacher sailed through her pregnancy without complications until a scan at 37 weeks showed she had 'extremely high blood pressure' and raised protein levels in her urine. Doctors diagnosed Tash with pre-eclampsia and promptly scheduled an emergency c-section.

"I know how Meghan must have been feeling," said Tash from Wootton, Bedfordshire. "As women, we are expected by society to go through pregnancy, despite what is thrown at us.

"Pre-eclampsia was something I had never thought to worry about whilst pregnant. I have never heard of pre-eclampsia before, and my pregnancy went well."

The NHS explains that pre-eclampsia is a condition that usually impacts women during the second half of pregnancy, from 20 weeks, or soon after a baby is delivered. While many cases are mild, it can lead to serious complications for the mother and baby if left untreated.

Meghan Markle opened up about her personal experience with post-partum pre-eclampsia in the first episode of her new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder. "It's so rare. And it's so scary," she said last week.

"You're still trying to juggle all these things and the world doesn't know what is happening, quietly, and in the quiet you are still trying to show up for people...In the quiet you're still trying to show up mostly for your children. But those things are huge medical scares."

In Tash's circumstance, her encounter with pre-eclampsia unfolded following a June 2021 growth scan that recorded elevated blood pressure. Before this, she had not experienced noticeable symptoms except for swelling in her feet, ankles, legs, and hands, which had been dismissed as typical of pregnancy.

"I thought everyone swells when they are pregnant," she said. "It wasn't something I'd expect could be early-onset pre-eclampsia or anything to worry about."

Two days after her diagnosis, she was scheduled for an emergency C-section. Despite being delivered three weeks early, her son Jesse was born healthy on June 9, 2021, weighing 6lbs 12oz.

During her recovery, Tash also suffered from proteinuria - an excess of protein in urine that is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. She was given a blood transfusion within the first 24 hours of delivery to help improve kidney function.

Soon after, she suffered from bilateral retinal detachment too, a rare complication of pre-eclampsia that causes extreme vision loss. "One morning, I woke up and I couldn't see a thing," she recalled.

"It was like the whole world had gone a dark grey, and it was the most confusing thing. I was scared for my life." Fortunately, Tash no longer suffers from high blood pressure and has since given birth to her second child, Ella-Mae, two, facing no signs of pre-eclampsia.

"I was perfectly fit and healthy going into pregnancy and never thought I'd experience something like this," she said. "During my second pregnancy, I was often anxious because of my previous experience, the worry was always there.

"But, thankfully, everything turned out okay, and I am more aware. There isn't a lot of information about pre-eclampsia," she added. "But I'm hoping to spread awareness on the issue, as this is not something to ignore."