Dang. Lost a student to stupidity.

[Ms. Toad]

But it still hurts.

Not publically an anti-vaxxer, but hadn't gotten vaccinated despite co-morbidities significant enough to justify attending all classes remotely since the start of COVID. They were in my last in-person class the day the University announced campus would be closed in 2 hours.

Return to campus would have been mandatory in the spring (based on professional licensing requirements), so the student planned to graduate a semester early to avoid having to (1) be on campus (2) get vaccinated, and (3) wear a mask. The last was what they were most vocal about.

Sweet and a very bright student - but stupid (as so many are) on this one front.

They fell ill at the start of final exams for their final semester of school. Hospitalized in one of two area hospitals I wouldn't send my worst enemy to (the other of the two having killed my father-in-law). Had to wait in the ER because there were no ICU beds (the county ICU beds are 95% full). Died this morning. Probably wouldn't have survived, even in a more competent hospital.

I've lost other acquaintances and famly members to COVID, but I've had more contact with this student, more recently, than anyone else I've lost to COVID

What a waste.

[luvs2sing]

1. I'm so sorry.

It really sucks when they just won’t listen and pay the ultimate price.

[Ms. Toad]

2. Thanks.

I hope her classmates will listen a bit more carefully now.

[dchill]

3. Such a waste.

[Ms. Toad]

10. Yes.

Given what I know about them, I would have expected them to use the license they were working toward to help others.

[Kittycatkat]

4. Covidiots are dying to make their point. What is there to say?

[Ms. Toad]

8. I was musing yesterday that it was harder to gin up sympathy

after learning yesterday about some of their mask rants - but learning of their actual death has a bit different emotional impact.

[liberalla]

19. I am in a perpetual state of scratching my head and not understanding why it

is such a big deal to some people (without the legitimate excuse of serious health conditions that make the vaccine a risk to them).

I read your mention of this student's rants on masks and instead of thinking, "what a shame" and "so sad", I had a different reaction. I felt a weird calmness and thought, "well, he/she took a stand, made a point, and lived their truth. I accept that." Having heard warnings about covid they chose their path. Sickness and death was a possibility, but they were defiant. Determined to "stick to their guns." They were willing to die for it... and so they did.

[Ms. Toad]

21. I'm still scratching my head.

I'm just hoping their death will wake up others who are deliberately or negligently careless.

But the death announcment came out, and it didn't list the cause. I am hoping enough read between the lines, or have knowledge they are permitted to share in connection with their name.

[maxsolomon]

5. There have been so many stories of people with co-morbidities forgoing jabs

and dying as a result.

They should have been at the front of the line, not waiting to see if the rest of us grew 2nd heads.

[Ms. Toad]

9. Agreed.

I don't know what their actual reasons were. Unlike their opinions on masks, they were not vocal about their reasons for not getting vaccinated. Whatever they were, they were not good enough.

[yardwork]

6. Heartbreaking.

[Ms. Toad]

7. Yup.

Their mother just had it (also ended up hospitalized), and the student was caring for her. Most likely contracted it from her. Now mom not only has to deal with the loss of her child, but likely some guilt about having infected the child. (And mom may not be well enough yet to care for herself.)

[yardwork]

11. It's a cruel disease, and too many people are misinformed and manipulated.

I'm sorry.

[IbogaProject]

12. Sad as we aren't really fully adult mentally until age 26

Sad as we aren't really fully adult mentally until age 26. So while legally an adult they were still a kid.

The refusing a mask really peeves me as it isn't to protect oneself as to protect others. And one should want to avoid the hospital during this mess to keep beds available.

Insane all the hoops to not get tested abd wear a mask for nothing except a likely trail of death that they spread.

[Lucky Luciano]

31. Yeah I never called anyone under 30 a man or woman!

“19 year old man” is so weird to hear.

I didn’t feel like an actual man until I had my son at 39! Haha. Before that, I could do almost whatever the fuck I wanted (though my wife definitely cut that down a lot a few years prior). Before that, I could schedule last minute trips to wherever…life is more complicated now even without Covid.

[iluvtennis]

13. So heartbreaking. Just wish they had used the tools we have to fight this virus - vaccination,

masking, social distancing.

My condolences to you @Ms. Toad.

[AverageOldGuy]

14. At some point . . .

. . . each of us must make a decision.

We can get advice from all quarters, study the problem . . . but in the end, it's my decision. And if the decision kills me, well . . .

[PCIntern]

15. Ms.Toad:

I know exactly what you mean, the grim finality of death of acquaintances is most difficult to endure. In my practice I have lost approximately 11,000 patients, many of whom were not my favorite people in the world to say the least, but each one hit hard when it happened. You have my sympathies and understanding, my only rhetorical question is how many people who are not fully protected by the vaccine meet his or her end due to exposure to one of these miscreants? I grieve more for them, innocently swept away by the tide of disease For no other reason then someone was ignorant almost beyond all human comprehension.

[Ms. Toad]

20. As to this student -

not many.

I'm pretty sure they didn't leave the house except for visiting mom in the hospital (when mom had COVID), and all of the hospitals around here require masks.

But you're right - I get very angry at those who don't understand that their bodily atonomy stops when they are killig others.

[MontanaMama]

16. I'm very sorry for your loss.

It is indeed a waste of a life, potential etc. It is my hope that young people see their way to getting vaccinated and living a long life. Sadly, many aren't making the decision to do so.

[AngryOldDem]

17. Just sad. My condolences.

[Ms. Toad]

27. Thanks. n/t

[mahina]

18. Nothing comforting to say that hasn't been said.

[Ms. Toad]

28. Thanks. n/t

[Laura PourMeADrink]

22. So sorry MT. My first thought is how apparently

important it is to have wise parents to guide you.

I didn't know you lost your FIL. I did too in Sept. Vaccinated, thought he was safe, you know, during that timeframe..

[Ms. Toad]

26. FIL was quite a while ago -

just a reference to the 2nd hospital which we would never go to, and why. They ignored blood in his urine until he had late stage bladder cancer. He was not one to complain about health - so the fact that he went to them early enough to be treatable is remarkable from our perspective. That they did not do a cystoscopy at the time is inexcusable. He went back a year later when he was peeing straight blood and was diagnosed with very late stage bladder cancer. THEN they doctored the records to suggest they had done a cystoscopy a year earlier but that it was negative.

My SIL is a nurse and had access to the records shortly after his diagnosis, before they were doctored. But she didn't get a copy - and by the time we thought about taking legal action, my FIL was on too much pain medication to be able to competently swear out an affidavit that he had not had a cystoscopy (NOT a test you could have while awake and not know it).

The hospital my student went to was not **quite** as bad - in the sense that I don't specifically know anyone they have killed. But the reputations are equivalent.

And yes - it is important to have wise parents to guide you - early on my parents recognized that my spouse had no parents (they died 6 months apart) so my parents took on that role for her.

[Demovictory9]

23. so sorry

[Ms. Toad]

24. Thanks. n/t

[Wounded Bear]

25. That sucks...

[Ms. Toad]

29. It does. n/t

[Lucky Luciano]

30. What a dipshit.

[BigmanPigman]

32. Live by the sword, die by the sword

[Ms. Toad]

35. You caught me . . . far too much connection -

nearly all of it as a patient, mom of a patient, or spouse of a patient, or insurance consumer. Hoping things don't get bad enough that my 1-year cancer scans and doctor visits don't get cancelled (or visitors restricted) because of all of the COVIDiots.

Are you my daughter's boyfriend?

(She traded in a sweet, but troubled, young man for a right wing nut-job who is unvaxxed, believes that most of the people who died of COVID really died from something else because - after all - a swab that was opened in a sterile room tested positive, and there are way too many breakthrough cases which prove the vaccinations don't work. Your rewrite sounds suspiciously like him. He's persona non grata at our house . . . I hope she comes to her senses soon.)

[struggle4progress]

36. "We're idiots, babe: it's a wonder we can even feed ourselves"

[Ms. Toad]

37. That's about the size of it. n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

38. But think of how much he owned the libtards! Trump is getting a boner.

And that's the worst part - people like your student, in any other time, would likely have taken Covid seriously and gotten vaccinated and worn a mask, except that his messiah Trump decided to call it a hoax and tell his followers to do everything contrary to safety so that they wouldn't look gay or liberal or whatever the fuck it is they're afraid of.

The worship of death that is the GOP is maddening, frustrating, and makes me want to literally take sledgehammers to walls in rage at the senseless murder that Trump et. al. are committing, and the senseless death by suicide that is the ultimate realization of conservative/GOP/fundy-Christian ideology.

Yeah, almost every Covid death now is one less vote for the GOP, but it still pisses me off because it could have been stopped last year, except that Trump is a giant pile of death-worshiping human filth, and he's even too goddamn ignorant to even make this death cult interesting from a purely intellectual standpoint.

[Ms. Toad]

39. My student was anti-Trump. n/t

[Lucky Luciano]

40. There are plenty of wellness yoga types that are anti-tr&@p

…but still quite selfish and stupid. Not saying this student is among them, but anti-tr&@p doesn’t mean pro-vaxx.

The holistic medicine/natural healing 🤡 are a problem too.

[NurseJackie]

41. How old would you imagine that he was?

I've lost other acquaintances and famly members to COVID

Same here... oddly enough, all the covid deaths in my family were cousins. First, second and third (for a total of five). All Trumpers. All living in red-states. (Go figure.) None were a surprise. None made me grieve or feel regret... just anger instead.

What a waste.

Yep. Sorry that you're hurting.

[Ms. Toad]

42. They were 40.

This one is not a surprise, given their comorbudities. But their posture as to vaccination and masking was, given a strong science background and the only political posts I can find were anti-Trump.

[NurseJackie]

43. Trumpers are in a death-cult.

I think that many of them do understand the science, they just don't care. It's more important to own-the-libs than to take care of their own health (and the health of their loved ones). In spite of their age, and the wisdom that SHOULD accompany those years, I am convinced that many of them go through life with the belief that their Christian faith will be enough to protect them... if they pray often enough and hard enough, the Lord God Almighty will grace them with a guardian angel.

That's the price of arrogance.

If that's what they choose for themselves, then I don't mind letting them go. One fewer Trump/GOP voter. One less person to spread the lies and poison others with their death-cult beliefs. As the "true believers" die out, there will be nobody (or fewer) remaining to take their place.

[Ms. Toad]

47. Whatever their issues with masks and vaccinations, they publicly opposed Trump. n/t

[NurseJackie]

51. Ah... I missed that.

Interesting.

[Ms. Toad]

52. When I made the OP, I was not sure about their politics -

(So I didn't include it in the OP.)

But the only two of their social media posts that I ran across last night which were political were blatantly anti-Trump.

[ejbr]

44. Condolences n/t

[Ms. Toad]

48. Thank you. n/t

[pandr32]

45. I'm sorry to hear this

It seems so senseless. An otherwise bright person with so much to live for dying due to something that could have easily been prevented.
It saddens and frustrates me.

[Ms. Toad]

49. Sad, angry, frustrated. All of that. n/t

[niyad]

46. I am so very sorry. What an incalculable waste.

[Ms. Toad]

50. Agreed. n/t