“I took my parents to get this second time, and we were all very excited,” his son Marc said. “We are a family that believes in science. We believe in masks and we believe in vaccines. We were ready to return to normalcy.”
But her mother, Candace Ayers, died nearly six months after a July trip with her husband to Mississippi. His death certificate says he died of Covid-19.
“Candace Cay (Kruger) Ayers, 66, of Springfield, died on September 3, 2021 at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, IL. She was preceded in death by more than 4,531,799 people infected with Covid-19. She was vaccinated but was infected by others who chose not to be. The cost was her life. “
Ayers believes his mother became infected when he visited Mississippi, a state where vaccination rates are among the lowest in the U.S.
“All of this could have been avoided,” Ayers said. “This could have been avoided with some acts of kindness. They were in a state that had one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Get a vaccine and wear a mask for other people … if that had been done , she would be here today. “
Because Candace had an underlying condition, her family doubted she would leave town.
“My mother had severe rheumatoid arthritis. We always worried more than she suffered because she was immunocompromised,” Ayers said. “We were struggling to see if they should have traveled. But things looked so good, and when we were completely vaccinated, we had no idea they were going to Mississippi. The Delta variant was just hitting the radar. Advanced cases were rare in this moment. Our worst nightmare came true. ”
Advanced cases occur when a fully vaccinated person becomes seriously ill or dies from Covid-19. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deaths among fully vaccinated people are rare.
Ayers described that the family has a hard time processing what has happened and wants to find a way to inspire others to get a vaccine and wear a mask. He believes that presenting the harsh reality of Covid-19’s daily figures globally at the time of writing his obituary would cause people to stop.
“This served to illustrate that this is not just a U.S. problem, but has a global impact,” he said. “My mom was a fighter. She kept fighting, fighting and fighting. We wanted to send a point.”
According to Ayers, they have received positive and negative comments on the obituary.
“It’s been really wonderful to hear friends and strangers about the obituary. Because of our history,” Ayers said, “people have told us they get vaccinated.
“Of course, there are also negative comments, but most have been positive.”
CNN’s Deidre McPhillips and Aya Elamroussi contributed to this report.