Who was Haley Richardson? Pregnant nurse, 32, dies of Covid-19 after refusing vaccine
A nurse from Alabama, who was six months pregnant, has tragically died from Covid-19 after she refused to get vaccinated. Haley Mulkey Richardson, 32, worked as a registered nurse with a labor and delivery unit at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. She reportedly refused the Covid-19 vaccination as she heard unfounded claims of the vaccine affecting fertility. A few days before her death on August 20, Haley wrote a heartbreaking Facebook post acknowledging her mistake in not getting the jab as she prayed for a final miracle.
Haley resided in Theodore, Alabama with her husband Jordan Denny Richardson and their daughter Theodore. She had contracted Covid-19 sometime around late July or early August, according to her friend Jason Whatley. Her condition worsened over time as she required hospitalization towards the end. She died just two days after losing her unborn child, named Ryleigh Beth. Her husband Jordan mourned her loss in a devastating post where he wrote, "..this is just good bye to your earthly life but I know one day I will be able to say hello to your heavenly one, and that day shall be the happiest of all of my life. So until then just know I love you with everything that I am."
READ MORE
Who is Phil Valentine? Anti-vaxxer radio host critical with Covid, family begs all to get jab
Who was Haley Richardson?
Haley Richardson had reportedly heard unfounded theories that the vaccine might affect a woman's eggs and have an adverse impact on her fertility. Out of fear, she decided to skip the jab as she wanted to have her second baby. Her mother Julia Mulkey shared with DailyMail, "Haley had anaphylaxis reactions in the past. So for that reason, she felt that it was not safe for her."
Her mother also added, "And then, of course, with all the negative reporting that has gone on, what was she to believe about what the vaccine would do to reproduction? Stuff about that it would destroy a female's eggs and that kind of thing, and she wanted to have her second baby. That made her afraid to get it."
Mulkey also opened up about her daughter's ordeal that the family witnessed before their eyes. "After about three or four days in the hospital, the [obstetrician] told her that she was going to lose the baby. And she continued to get worse and worse. At some point, they basically told her that we've got to start treating you as if you didn't have a child. We've got to do what we can for you because the baby is going to pass anyway."
Grieving the loss of Haley, Julia Mulkey said, "It's really hard. It's hard to accept, it's hard to face. We're glad she's not suffering anymore."
In a Facebook post dated August 9, 2021, Haley had shared about her regret in not getting the shot, something she did to ensure the safety of her unborn child.
"Here in the dark, in the wee hours of the morning, it is so easy to pretend that all of this was just a nightmare or that I'm just here in this hospital bed due to my own issues with Covid. Not for anything being wrong with my sweet baby girl whom I thought I was protecting in my own womb. I know the prognosis and I know the reality. And while part of me may start to acknowledge this, the other part of me still believes God is still the God of miracles and is in control above all else. I hope and pray for miracles, but having said that I am also praying for his will to be done. If there has ever been a time to ask for something to be taken out of my own hands and put in his, it is now. Jordan, and I are so overwhelmed not only with what we face in the coming days, but also by this unbelievable outpouring of love and support from family and friends both personal and from our work families. You all are lifting us up in ways you can never fathom. Thank you seems so insufficient, but it's all I have right now. So, thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts!" read her last ever Facebook post.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has strongly recommended the Covid-19 vaccination for pregnant women or women who are trying to conceive, despite an alarming rise in conspiracy theories from anti-vaxxers.