A woman “almost killed by Covid” has achieved her dream of climbing a mountain – despite suffering long-term effects from the illness. Dr Athmaja Thottungal, an anaesthesia and pain management consultant from Rochester, tested positive for Covid three times and once feared she was going to die. Her second bout of the disease proved to be the most damaging and required oxygen and steroid treatment due to breathing difficulties. The 52-year-old then developed long Covid sequelae, which affected her heart, lungs, and blood vessels as well as her immune system. This led to her being off work at th…