Woman’s family use obituary to blame unvaccinated people for COVID-19 death

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Gray News) – An Illinois family sends a message to the unvaccinated through their loved one’s obituary. He says the 66-year-old was vaccinated against COVID-19 but was still infected and died because others refused the injections.

Candace “Candy” Ayers, 66, died of COVID-19 in an Illinois hospital on September 3, more than a month after being diagnosed with the virus in late July despite being fully immunized, State reports Journal-Register.

Her husband, Terry Ayers, and her two grown children were heartbroken at her loss – but also angry. They used Candace Ayers’ obituary to call those who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

“She was preceded in death by more than 4,531,799 other people infected with COVID-19. She was vaccinated but was infected by others who chose not to be. The cost was his life, ”the obituary reads.

Candace Ayers’ 36-year-old son Marc Ayers says he wants those who aren’t vaccinated to realize that their decision is weighing on others.

“This is all so preventable,” he told the Journal-Register. “People have politicized it and made it into politics. These are the people who perpetuated the cycle of pain for our family and so many others.

Candace Ayers was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the spring. Her family believe she caught the virus during a four-day trip to Mississippi in mid-July to visit a friend who lost her husband to COVID-19, according to the Journal-Register.

Mississippi had one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country over the summer, but Candace Ayers’ family and doctor believed she would be safe because she herself was vaccinated.

Candace Ayers and her husband both caught the virus. He only developed mild symptoms and recovered, but she ended up being hospitalized for a month, the last three weeks on a ventilator. Her family told the Journal-Register that she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and believed it put her at a higher risk of complications from COVID-19.

Candace Ayers’ family made the difficult decision to remove her from the ventilator due to the severe and irreversible lung damage caused by COVID-19. She died within minutes of disconnecting, with her family by her side.

Marc Ayers says he thinks his mother would like his obituary, the Journal-Register reports. He has received positive responses from friends who have been vaccinated and hopes this will change the way some people think about vaccinations.

“You just have to wear a mask and get vaccinated,” he said. “Tie up just a little. “

Candace Ayers is survived by her husband of nearly 43 years, her son, daughter, Amanda Foster, and 5-year-old triplet grandchildren.

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