Step-nephew has Covid

[minx]

Don't know if I mentioned this, but my 43yo step nephew has Covid and is on a ventilator right now.

Not vaxxed, and I don't know why.  His wife has lupus, so is fully vaxxed, so there's no reason for not doing it. 

He went to the hospital on Jan 6th, and was intubated on the 7th.  Still fighting, but it's going to be a long fight and long recovery if he makes it.

And of course he doesn't have health insurance so when he recovers, he's going to have to deal with that - they've already filed bankruptcy for her last large hospitalization, so they're not eligible to do it again.

Right now, things are stable - not getting worse, but not getting a lot better either.

All because he made a stupid decision based on lies.  And despite this, his aunt feels no need to be vaccinated - just boggles the damn mind.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

What does it tell you if >I'm< speechless?

[bobathon]

This is the kind of story that solidifies my support for Giant Fucking Meteorite 2024.

[k9krap]

It has to be 2023. My handicap parking permit expires in 2023.

[minx]

Step-nephew died this morning.

Talked to my BIL last night - oh nephew didn't go to the hospital because he had covid ya know. He went because he was having problems breathing - no covid symptoms. And he tested positive after they admitted him. So the covid complicated whatever his problem was, but he didn't HAVE it when he went in there.

Oh..My..Fucking..God.

I can't see straight from the anger. So now they're all going to write this off as a tragedy that couldn't have easily been prevented. Won't be attending any funeral/memorial service, as it will be way too hard not to confront the motherfuckers in his family (and my husbands) who are stupid enough to buy this shit.

43 and gone. Because he exercised his freedom and chose not to be vaccinated or take precautions against a highly-transmittable disease.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

I'm respectfully sorry for your loss, regardless of the circumstances. I guess you can look at it at least a couple of different ways. One being that it's more difficult to process some types of loss and for lack of a better word "easier" to process others, such as 100% preventable ones. I have a friend that died at 23 years of age in a motorcycle accident. He was a maniac behind the wheel of everything he drove and was in 2 crashes that he had to be extricated from the vehicle. Anyone with any sense of self awareness should know someone like that should not go out and buy a 200mph motorcycle. The minute he got on that thing it was inevitable.

You could simplify that and say the same about anyone that refuses to wear their seatbelts (Hi, my name is John and will never wear a seatbelt unless circumstances at the time make it seem like a good idea to me). If you die in a car wreck and go through the window, well your death was possibly preventable.

Anyway, I hate it for you that you have this story to tell and that his family lives in an alternate reality. I also hate it that this world is packed to the gills with self righteousness that leads everyone in two separate directions even though eventually to same river.

[minx]

I do get what you're saying, and I do appreciate it. I have known people who died too early because of stupidity (friend's son went to run an errand for grandma in his new Jeep without using his seatbelt - went down an unfamiliar road and didn't see a stop sign). And you're right - there's a lot of anger and frustration along with the loss because it's totally senseless.

And that's what this is - totally senseless. And of course, it's also raw and fresh.

No word on funeral arrangements yet - that will probably take a while. He and his wife lived in W. MD and his mom is in Florida, so they're going to have to figure out how to get her to MD.

Thanks John for helping me get a little perspective on this.

[minx]

Discussed with spouse last night, as step-nephew's widow has no way of paying for his funeral.

Spouse is going to call his brother and tactfully say that while they're saying he didn't go to the hospital because he had Covid, if it's actually listed as the cause of death his widow can qualify to get the government to pay for funeral expenses. Told the spouse that I thought BIL should know, but didn't think I could tell him politely.

BTW, BIL's facebook announcement of nephew's death

For those of you who had not heard yet, we lost our oldest yesterday to heart failure and severe bronchial problems. All aggravated by Covid

Total bullshit, but whatever.

[Dave's Not Here Man]

That's a very sad commentary on them. So profoundly misguided that I wouldn't know where to start except to say that someone making a political statement and an admission of the possible consequences of of likely being infected -vs- a slight chance by a very high risk individual for DYING of COVID  Absolutely 100 without doubt that their minds can't process lucid reasoning on this. It's a WALK-AWAY situation if I were attached to them.

[minx]

We don't see much of them since they moved to Florida, and I don't picture visiting them.

I'm trying to tell myself what you said yesterday. This is similar to someone being told not to speed who runs off the road when they lose control of their car. Not working very well, but it is what it is, right?

Ended up texting my BIL and saying I read an article saying that if a relative died from COVID that they may qualify for money to help with funeral expenses and they might want to look into it and told him to go to the fema website. They can do what they will with the information.

[bobathon]

I'm with you, John. I can't and won't help if you refuse to join me over here in Realityville.

[minx]

The autopsy results are in. According to BIL the "official" cause of death is covid - no other extenuating circumstances.
But...but you ask, he went to the ER because he was having difficulty breathing, and heart palpitations. He didn't have symptoms of Covid and wasn't going there to be tested for it!

However, as we all know hospitals get extra money for every Covid death they report. This is actually true - Medicare pays slightly more to compensate for the ICU use along with the increased staffing and equipment needed to treat those patients. However, my step-nephew HAD NO INSURANCE!!! And as the song goes, nothing from nothing means nothing. You gotta have something.....

Just disgusting. All of these right-wing pundits have a special place in hell waiting for them - they can join the elected Republicans and Trump there.