Covid is hitting close to home - my brother in law who refused vaccine is hospitalized

[groundloop]

I just found out that my brother-in-law was taken to the hospital yesterday with full blown Covid, and from what I've heard he's not doing well at all.

I'm having real mixed feelings about this, on one hand he's a hell of a nice guy and would give you the shirt off of his back. On the other hand he was a staunch tRump voter (although thankfully not an in-your-face tRumper and never talked politics) and of course refused to get vaccinated even though he's in a high risk group. He raised hell when his wife got vaccinated, she works at a supermarket and decided that it would be best to get the vaccine to help insure that she didn't bring Covid home to him.

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel about this. I just can't find much sympathy for someone who refused to get vaccinated despite being high risk, I'm mostly worried about how his wife will carry on if he doesn't make it. And the mean-spirited side of my brain is thinking there soon might be one less GQPer voter in a purple state.

[lagomorph777]

1. "He raised hell when his wife got vaccinated"

So, no, not a nice guy at all. Doesn't give a shit for her safety. She'll be better off without him.

[wryter2000]

2. I assume this is your spouse's brother.

I'd just worry about your spouse and their feelings. They're likely going to lose a brother they love.

So sorry this is happening to your family.

[USAFRetired_Liberal]

3. Just curious

What makes him a nice guy? Can I get some examples? Seriously, a lot of trumpers I know are assholes and wouldn’t give a stranger the shirt off their backs, maybe a family member, but not strangers….especially the people who don’t look like them

[Texaswitchy]

4. Hope he gets well.

I do not understand people like him but hope he makes it.

[NCDem47]

5. I was conflicted too about a family member

First cousin that I grew up with. We we seperate paths once we reached 18 (we're now 51). He and his wife were both unvaxed. Suspect they are MAGAts. He really fell ill and was admitted to hospital in Pinellas County, Fla. (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, etc.). His oxygen was in the 70s when he arrived at hospital. Was never vented and made it out. Indications are he might be a long hauler. Anyway, it pissed me off they were unvaxed, but those family ties are close and I'm really close to his mother, my aunt, so I didn't like to see her go through any agony.

He hold my mom that he went in with a 27-year-old who had to be vented when she arrived. He asked a nurse later about it and it was implied she didn't make it. 27...years...old.

[cilla4progress]

6. Identical to my family situation -

nice as hell BIL (spouse's sister's husband) - give you the shirt off his back - but a christofascist. I'm sure he thinks his god's natural immunity will protect him. He was just DISINVITED from a wonderful family reunion over the weekend because it was vaccinated only.

His excuse is that he had trouble with the shingles vaccine... may be some data to back this up?

Fortunately he ISN'T sick with Covid...yet?

We never discuss politics, by the way. Thank goddess for that.

Good luck to your BIL, in any event...

[genxlib]

10. The Shingles vaccine was worse for me than the Covid one

For the Shingles Vax...my shoulder had a knot in it like a baseball. It got noticeably hot to the touch. I took an IR temperature gun to it and my skin at the injection shot was about 7 degrees warmer than the rest of my skin.

[cilla4progress]

12. He seems to think his bad reaction to the shingles vacc

exempts him or at least bodes ill for him in taking the covid vacc.

I think we know the real reason...

SMDH

[milestogo]

18. Me too.

I felt bad for 24 hours after the shingles vax, but nothing after Covid.

[mgardener]

19. I thought it was worse then the COVID Vax too!

[yonder]

22. Shingles vax was much worse for me than the Covid vax

2-3 days for each installment versus none for Covid.

Still, reaction or not, it doesn't absolve one from keeping their thinking cap on - and using it too.

[COL Mustard]

26. I Agree, But.....

I had a bad reaction to my first shingles shot, but the second one , nothing at all.

[RobinA]

31. Me Too

COVID gave me a mildly sore arm for 12 hours each time. Shingrix was two days of the flu.

[XanaDUer2]

8. I hope he recovers fully nt

[Native]

9. I say banish the negative thoughts and follow the Golden Rule.

Nothing good can come of the negativity, & you need to be there for the rest of the family. You say he's a nice guy who would give you the shirt off his back - focus on that. So what if he supported Trump - he wasn't at the Capitol on 1/6 and you say he's not "in your face" when it comes to politics. People who are ignorant but well meaning still exist. Same goes for the vaccination. I know plenty of really nice people who are honestly and ignorantly afraid of getting the vaccine. Not everyone is well read, keeps up with the news, or has good critical thinking skills. 50% of the population makes up the left half of the IQ bell curve. We can't dispense with compassion because of someone's political leanings - in my opinion that just makes us as sad as them.

[Demsrule86]

11. Family is family. I wish no ill on any of my family members

[emmaverybo]

15. Nice response, balanced and compassionate. Nt

[barbtries]

13. i sympathize with you.

i could find myself in this situation with loved ones who refuse to get vaccinated.
i hope he lives, and changes his mind and gets a jab when healthy enough.

[electric_blue68]

14. I hope he'll make a full recovery Definitely get the mixed feeling

[hibbing]

16. Hang in there as best you can n/t

[johnthewoodworker]

17. When people deny science, and refuse a vaccine, disease is not a surprise. Good luck.

[Hekate]

20. I'm so very sorry, groundloop. It hits close to my home as well...

Hang in there, and continue to embrace your sister (SIL?) in what is surely a terrible time for her, come what may.

[usedtobedemgurl]

21. He'd give you the shirt off his back....

But he would not vaccinate, to keep others safe and protect them from possibly dying? If you would not do something so simple to save others………

[Harker]

23. I suggest that you consider allowing your emotions to rest.

You'll know how to feel about it later.

[roamer65]

24. He's not that giving of a person if he wouldn't get vaxxed for his wife.

That’s pretty damn selfish.

Sorry, but it is.

I feel sorry for sister.

[YDogg]

27. A friend of mine died of COVID last Monday.

He was absolutely crazy about his daughter (and wife, I imagine, but I never met her and always heard about his daughter). But he apparently didn't care about either enough to get the vaccine. Freedom!! Just like the flu!!

So now at 44 years of age he is stone cold fucking dead. And based on his lack of self-care his 10 year-old daughter will never really know whether he actually loved her. His wife is in deep denial - doesn't want anyone to know it was the 'VID - but she is also unvaxxed. Tragic, but by-and-large preventable.

I have mixed feelings about his death, but mostly I'm angry at him for what his selfishness has done to his family.

[roamer65]

29. There will be a lot of it in the coming months.

Out of our control, so I just let it go. If I encounter these stories first hand, my question is going to be were they vaccinated? If it was willful rejection of the vaccine then I am going to shut the story off right then and there.

But I definitely HEAR you.

[C Moon]

25. I still say that if someone supports Trump after all we went through and saw...

if nothing less, they are a racist. I see what you mean by nice (my neighbor is a MAGA, I think he can be a "nice" person), but I wouldn't call him a good person. So what I'm saying, is don't feel too bad about what you're feeling.

[kskiska]

28. What does he think about his decision now?

[Skittles]

30. I wonder how many people he passed the virus on to

I fucking despise these selfish assholes but for the sake of your family I do hope he gets better

[MissMillie]

32. I don't wish for any of the anti-vaxxers to get ill.

I do there was a cure for the apathy they display towards their communities.