[ad_1]
Erica Thompson, a mother of three in St. Louis County, Missouri, died of COVID-19 on July 4 – a death that her mother said could have been prevented.
Thompson, 37, was not vaccinated, her mother, Kimberle Jones, said.
MORE: Symptomatic COVID-19 infections rare, CDC data estimates
“If my daughter had been vaccinated I think she would still be here with us,” Jones said.
Thompson leaves behind a husband and three sons, aged 8, 11 and 17. Jones, speaking to ABC News as she prepared for her daughter’s funeral, said she hoped their story would convince others, especially black Americans, to get vaccinated.
MORE: Vaccination rates are lagging in communities of color, but it’s not just due to reluctance, experts say
Thompson, who suffered from asthma, went to hospital on May 16 with chest pain and tested positive for COVID-19 days later, her mother said.
Thompson’s health deteriorated quickly and doctors recommended she use a ventilator, Jones said.
“She cried and cried and said, ‘I want to live,'” Jones recalls.
MORE: Statistics Show Significant Risks of Not Getting Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Thompson was transferred to another hospital on June 1 and put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a specialized form of resuscitation – but her lungs were not healing, Jones said.
“She developed a lot of infections, blood clots, her kidneys started to shut down,” Jones said. “Her skin turned very dark. It was just heartbreaking to see her body not responding to any medicine. I just felt like my daughter, it wasn’t even her.”
She continued, “Day after day after day I was going to the hospital and my daughter was really slipping away.”
MORE: Radio host, 71, dies from COVID-19 weeks after virus killed his wife
As Thompson’s condition worsened, family members, including his eldest son, accompanied Jones to the hospital to say goodbye to him.
Thompson died on July 4. She had spent 50 days in the hospital, what Jones called “50 most grueling and excruciating days of my life.”
“I sit and cry thinking about my daughter and the pain she was feeling,” Jones said. “Preparing for her funeral was so trying for me.
MORE: COVID-19 Vaccines Protect You Better Than Infection, Doctors Say
Jones said her mission now was to promote vaccinations, as she said her daughter “categorically does not believe” in the COVID-19 vaccine.
Thompson was not afraid of contracting the deadly virus, his mother said, because “she didn’t think it would ever happen to her.”
Thompson is now among more than 611,000 Americans who have died from COVID-19. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 57% of Americans aged 12 and older are fully immunized.
MORE: As COVID-19 rises again, what experts say millions of unvaccinated
Jones said she was vaccinated, like the rest of the family, and she wants to tell all Americans, “Don’t be selfish. Get vaccinated because it doesn’t just show you love yourself, you love your. community … your neighbors, your employers, your colleagues.
“This is my prayer. I want everyone to get vaccinated. And especially African Americans,” she continued. “Use this as a way to help others.”
Heartbroken mother pushes for vaccines after unvaccinated daughter died from COVID-19 that initially appeared on abcnews.go.com
[ad_2]
Source link