A mother of four unvaccinated children died Friday after a battle with COVID-19.
Samantha Willis, 35, contracted the virus while she was pregnant, giving birth to her baby, Eviegrace, and then switching to COVID-19.
He died at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, Northern Ireland, and his funeral was held at St. Columb’s, Londonderry, two weeks after delivery.
At his funeral, his newborn baby, Eviegrace, followed his coffin to the procession alongside his close friends and family.
Willis was never able to take the baby or even get to know her because of the debilitating disease that killed more than 4.4 million people worldwide.
At the funeral, Joe Clifford, who ran the service, also baptized the newborn baby, saying it was the first time he had performed a funeral and a baptism simultaneously. During the service, according to the Belfast Telegraph, he said he “talks about death and life all intertwined”.
And he also added: “It is sadness and joy at the same time, but never gathered so close as this. And the joy of the baptism of this new life does not minimize death, but the sadness that brings us all here in the context of faith.
Willis ’husband, Josh, urged people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus on Twitter.
“I spent hours in the ICU on Thursday / Friday with my wife who died,” he tweeted. “It’s real, the numbers are real. Get the vaccine so you or your family don’t have to go through what I had to do. As I write this, I’m next to her, she’s 35, unvaccinated and in the coffin. Let this sink!
Twitter users sent their condolences to their responses, telling Josh they were sending prayers and love for his family.
“I am very sorry for your loss, a heartbreaking reality,” he wrote a user, who said he was praying for the family.
While most tweets shared feelings of pain, others were related to the shocking tragedy due to their own loss during the pandemic.
“I lost my unvaccinated twin of 42 years, 4 weeks ago,” he wrote Somebody else. “It’s completely heartbreaking.”
Josh, who runs a supply company, posted an exciting tribute on Facebook to honor his late wife, calling the tragedy “the worst day of his life.”
“Samantha had struggled hard for the last 16 days, but in the end it wasn’t enough,” he wrote. “All I want to do now is make Samantha feel proud. I’m sure she’s already looking down and proud of how we deal. We are also proud of her, she was a wonderful, loving and caring person and has been our superhero for the past few weeks. He is now our guardian angel and will remain in our hearts and thoughts forever. ”
He continued: “I will make sure that Eviegrace knows everything about the mother she will never know. I will never let anyone forget you and I will remember all the special moments and experiences we shared together.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to support his family, who have now raised around £ 5,000.
According to GoFundMe, Willis had no underlying health conditions and was perfectly healthy until he contracted COVID-19. He fought the virus for 16 days until it finally happened.
She is survived by her husband, Josh, her son, Shea, and their daughters Eviegrace, Holly, and Lilyanna.
Their deaths come as cases of COVID-19 and deaths are rising in Northern Ireland. According to the Belfast Telegraph, some hospitals are at full capacity, with some overcapacity.