‘I shouldn’t have waited’: Unvaccinated woman makes plea to others in video days before death

31-year-old Megan Blankenbiller said she wished she hadn’t delayed jab appointment in final post

Megan Alexandra Blankenbiller from her hospital bed, encouraging others to get vaccinated before passing away from Covid-19 (atasteofalex/TikTok)

An unvaccinated woman who died while battling Covid pleaded with others to get the jab in a video days before her death.

Megan Alexandra Blankenbiller, 31, expressed regret for not getting vaccinated sooner in a series of TikTok posts from her hospital bed.

“I don’t have a lot of energy for talking, so I’m going to try and make this quick,” Ms Blankenbiller, of Jacksonville, Florida, said in her final video. “I did not get vaccinated. I’m not anti-vax, I was just trying to do my research. I was scared and I wanted me and my family to all do it at the same time.”

“I do think it was a mistake. I shouldn’t have waited,” she continued, then going on to urge people to get vaccinated. “I think if you’re even 70% sure that you want the vaccine, go get it. Don’t wait, go get it. Because hopefully, if you get it, then you won’t end up in the hospital like me, okay?”

The video, posted on 15 August, has since been viewed more than 900,000 times. Just nine days after, Ms Blankenbiller had died.

Ms Blankenbiller had been hospitalised on 13 August, and documented her illness on social media. Her first video from hospital, posted on 14 August, showed her looking worried as screams were heard in the background, which she explained may have been from those who lost loved ones in a later video.

In another video, she explained how vaccinations work to her followers. “The vaccine is a layer of protection for you… it’s like a bootcamp for your body to go up against Covid. So that if, one day you come into contact with a live Covid specimen, your body already has a plan.”

Ms Blankenbiller also explained her initial concerns with getting the vaccine, by saying “I was scared, there’s nothing wrong with that… it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to be unsure.”

Her sister, Cristina Blankenbiller, told WebMD “it’s no secret this is something that should be taken seriously, but there’s so much misinformation out there.” She said that Megan, Cristina and their mother and other sister had agreed and scheduled to get vaccinated, but all fell ill with Covid-19 before their appointments.

“Her final video really showed a lot of who she was,” said Megan’s other sister, Rachel Blankenbiller “She was selfless - the type of person who used her final days to help others.”

Ms Blankenbiller’s death was announced by her sister in an emotional Facebook post on 24 August: “I am saddened and heartbroken to share that my older sister has been called to heaven today. Megan was such a beautiful person who gave her everything to anyone in need. She was a light to all around her and brought joy to everyone she met.”

Under her final video, comments included “thank you for encouraging others not to share your same fate,” “I’m gonna go schedule my appointment right now” and “she used her last breaths to help others. RIP and thank you.”