The Pain of Losing a Friend to COVID

To The Editor:

I had a dear friend who refused to get vaccinated. I encouraged him many times in the last year to please get vaccinated. He was over 75 years old, had diabetes and some minor heart issues. All the complications that are an open door for the virus to enter. When I pressed him for his reasons to resist being vaccinated, he could never give me a definitive answer.

Then it happened, he was scheduled to have cataract surgery when he was tested for COVID as a precaution prior to surgery. The results came back positive.

I began at this point to question why those who refused to be vaccinated would not acquiesce and receive the vaccine. I learned that several reasons were given by the unvaccinated. Religion, politics, medical (I will be sterile, they said), government mistrust, media mis- and disinformation to name a few. Perhaps if they could have been with my friend for the last three weeks of his life, they maybe would have changed their minds.

My friend, who lived in a small rural community went first to a local clinic and was told to go home, isolate and rest. From his bedroom he went to stay with a relative in a large metropolitan city. He was still not admitted to a hospital. After the second call to EMS, he was admitted to the hospital. He was immediately placed on forced air oxygen. He remained for about one week with this protocol in place. His condition deteriorated and he was moved to ICU and placed on a ventilator. He remained at this stage for two weeks.

At what point on this almost surely life-ending journey did he maybe say to himself, “I should have been vaccinated.’”

Was it when he was diagnosed? Was it when he was admitted to the hospital because he could not breathe? Was it when he was placed in isolation and could not have family members visit? Was it when the doctor told him he had pneumonia? Was it, finally when he was told he had two choices, be put on a ventilator or remain as he was and just made comfortable for all that could be done for him had been done?

I know that there have been breakthrough cases of those fully vaccinated testing positive for COVID, some even succumbing to the virus. Many have compared the vaccination to the annual flu vaccine. It may not totally prevent the virus but hopefully if you do test positive, you will have a much better chance of overcoming the illness than you would if you had not been vaccinated. Now there is the Omicron variant. Scientists do not have enough experience with Omicron to say that the current vaccines will also be effective. Most are in agreement that those who have been fully vaccinated will fare much better than those who are not fully vaccinated.

I got the call this morning that my friend had passed away. I wish I could have convinced him to get vaccinated. The last three weeks of his life were spent gasping for every breath. His family had to watch helplessly while he drifted further away.

I am still saying to myself “why?”

James F. Parker

Giddings