Unvaccinated dad shares ‘deathbed plea’ before dying of COVID, Nebraska family says
Before an unvaccinated Nebraska dad and grandpa died of COVID-19, he shared his “deathbed plea” — get vaccinated, his family said.
That plea came 13 weeks after Mike Leick struggled in his fight against the coronavirus, his daughter Erin Kaye said on Facebook three days before they ended his “his life-sustaining oxygen support.”
At 65 years old, Leick died of COVID complications on Monday.
“Today, my brother and sisters and I were blessed to be able to be with my father for his last moments on this earth,” his son, Tom, wrote on Facebook. “It didn’t have to be this way.
“We were supposed to see him grow old. Instead we had to watch him struggle to breathe,” he continued. “He accepted that his own choices got him where he was. He would have gotten the vaccine if he had known where this would end. You too have a choice. You will have to own your choice. Choose wisely.”
Leick’s daughter-in-law, Jessica, shared how she watched her children say final goodbyes to their “pa.”
“This could have been prevented,” she wrote. “We could have had more time if only he had gotten vaccinated. There are too many people struggling to breath right now and wishing they had made a different choice. You have the right to choose. Please choose love of family, love of friends and love of community.”
Before the Omaha man died, he did an interview with a local TV station. He shared how he believes politicizing COVID-19 is where the U.S. went wrong and how he never took the time to talk with his doctor about the vaccine or get the shot.
“Ultimately...that cost me my life because I contracted COVID and didn’t have the protection that would have minimized the risk of the exposure,” he continued. “I feel bad for my kids for that because they’ll miss out the most.”
Since two days before Father’s Day, the Leick family has watched their beloved dad and grandpa succumb to this disease, his daughter Amber wrote on Aug. 18.
“What I am trying to make clear through all of this is that COVID doesn’t just affect the person who contracts it. It affects everyone that person is connected to, and not in a good way,” she wrote. “I honestly (and somewhat selfishly) believe anyone who refuses to get vaccinated should have to go through what my dad is going through, but I don’t believe that their loved ones deserve the pain, stress, and fear that my family has experienced.
“I don’t think anyone else should have to decide whether or not to override their father’s medical wishes, weigh whether it’s better to let him die now or try a vent for two weeks and let him die then, or constantly worry that this visit will be the last.”
“I knew I would have to bury my dad someday, but I didn’t think it would be now,” Erin Leick said, according to KMTV.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting against the coronavirus disease, and they are especially effective at preventing severe illness and death.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, also known as Comirnaty, has been fully approved by the FDA. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have the FDA’s emergency use authorization.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Unvaccinated dad shares ‘deathbed plea’ before dying of COVID, Nebraska family says."