Kevin and Misty Mitchem, from Stafford County, Virginia, both aged in their 40s, passed away weeks apart, leaving their five kids and one infant grandchild behind.
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Even after several pleas from the family members to get vaccinated, they did not comply and regretted it later.
Kevin’s distraught mother, Terry Michem speaks about his parting words:
Mom, I love you and I wish that I’d got the shot
The pair were wary of taking the vaccine due to things they read up on the internet, especially ‘memes’ from Facebook, says Kevin’s brother, Mike.
His response to me was to show different memes and stuff that he found on Facebook. He believed all that to be gospel truth and I could not change his mind.
Kevin and Misty were married for 17 years, and they had four children of their own: Riley, 17; Leah, 14, and twins Taylor and Aiden, 11. Kevin also had a 22-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, Angel, who now has a two-year-old son, Lincoln.
Before contracting COVID, Kevin was said to be a healthy man, who never smoked or consumed alcohol. The husband was the first one to contract the disease and soon the wife, who was diabetic, was sent to the hospital to get intensive care.
Misty passed away on 23 September, soon followed by Kevin on 8 October. Neither had been vaccinated.
Mike adds:
He worked every day. He was always working, always outside, always doing something. Very active
The family have spoken out in various media outlets in the U.S., urging people to get vaccinated at the earliest and not face a tragedy like the Michem’s.
Mike said:
Part of our pain is anger. Anger because people are still not getting the vaccine. If you think about it, you need to have certain vaccines before you can even go to school. What’s the big deal about this one?
