Bride-to-be who was unsure on vaccine dies of Covid

Samantha Wendell was due to be married on 21 August but instead spent the day on a ventilator

(Getty Images)

A 29-year-old woman who was due to get married this summer died when she caught Covid, having refused to get vaccinated over fertility concerns.

Samantha Wendell was due to marry Austin Eskew on 21 August in a church in Lisle, Illinois, where Ms Wendell’s parents were married. The same church will now act as the venue for her funeral.

According to NBC news, the couple decided to hold off being vaccinated, after a number of Ms Wendell’s coworkers suggested that it could affect their fertility.

Misinformation around the vaccine and its effect on fertility has gained ground recently, in spite of top medical and reproductive groups refuting it.

There is currently no evidence that either the Covid vaccine or any other vaccine causes fertility problems in men or women. This is according to the CDC, which recommends the vaccine for everyone who is eligible for it.

Despite this, Ms Wendell, a surgical technician, and her correctional sergeant finance decided against getting the vaccine as they wanted to start a family as soon as they got married, with hopes that they would eventually have three or four children.

Instead of walking down the aisle, the bride-to-be spent her wedding day in hospital on a ventilator, having been put on one five days previously.

Ms Wendell never regained the ability to breathe on her own and died on 10th September, leaving behind her fiancé Mr Eskew who fully recovered.

Mr Eskew, Ms Wendell’s mother and a cousin said that they had decided to share her story, as they were certain she would have wanted other people to learn from her mistake.

In spite of her initial hesitancy, the 29-year-old had recently changed her stance on the vaccine and booked an appointment for the end of July. Just days before she was scheduled to receive the jab, she began to feel unwell with what turned out to be Covid-19. This meant that she ineligible to receive a dose until she had recovered.

Before she was put on the ventilator, Mr Wendell asked doctors if she could receive a Covid vaccination, said her mother.

“It wasn’t going to do any good at that point, obviously,” Jeaneen Wendell told NBC News. “It just weighs heavy on my heart that this could have easily been avoided.”

The myth that Covid vaccines can affect fertility continues to circulate. Earlier this month, ESPN reporter Allison Williams announced that she would be stepping away from her job, which requires her to get vaccinated, since she and her husband are trying to conceive a second child and she does not want to receive the vaccination.