MR. AND MRS. ANTI-VAXXERS CROAKED FROM COVID-19

Who were Lawrence and Lydia Rodriguez? Texas anti-vax duo dies of Covid-19, orphans 4 kids 

 

By Yasmin Tinwala  

 

meaww

August 18, 2021

 

 

                                          Lydia and Lawrence Rodriguez

 

An anti-vax couple has lost their lives and has left behind four children ranging between ages 11 to 18. Lydia and Lawrence from La Marque, Texas, did not believe in the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines. They snapped back at relatives who tried talking them into getting the jab due to their lack of trust. But on their deathbed, they requested their extended family who is now caring for the orphaned kids of the couple, that their children get vaccinated. 

Cases where people believed Covid-19 was a hoax, questioned the credibility of vaccines, and unfortunately died of the disease later are not rare. Stephen Harmon from Hillsong Church died of Covid-19 and pneumonia months after posting anti-vax tweet, "got 99 problems but a vax ain't one." In related news, Arkansan nurse Shanda Parish refused to take the jab after both her unvaccinated parents died from the virus. Elsewhere in Las Vegas, a fully vaccinated flight attendant Maurice Shepperson died on August 14 after catching the virus after a business trip to Hawaii in July. 

Who were Lawrence and Lydia Rodriguez?

According to Lydia's cousin Dottie Jones, the couple were admitted to the UTMB-Victory Lakes Hospital on July 12 after they tested positive for Covid-19. They were deteriorating quickly and Lydia was immediately transferred to the ICU where she had to be placed on a ventilator while Lawrence remained on oxygen and was expected to get better but the opposite happened and he had to be shifted to the same ICU as his wife. Both were placed on high ventilator settings where they remained in critical condition. 

Both Lydia and Lawrence were running a high fever, according to Jones, and Lawrence's kidney gave away. The couple was highly sedated and could not talk to their kids and it was established they were going to be hospitalized for a long time. The couple was highly active church members where Lydia led the music ministry and Lawrence served as a deacon. Jones wrote the couple had worked hard to build a life for their kids and all of that was in limbo now after their hospitalization. Lawrence,49, died of complications on August 2 while Lydia, 42, died earlier this week.

A GoFundMe was created to seek help from people to take care of the mounting medical bills, home bills, and to take care of the kids. Lydia used to teach piano and didn't make money when not working and Lawrence had exhausted his paid leaves. Their oldest 18-year-old twin sons Nathan and Ethan worked at Discount Tire and were attending College of the Mainland. Their younger son Adam, 16, also works at Discount Tire and attends College of the Mainland in their dual-credit high school program. Their daughter Symphonia is 11 and is being cared for by her aunt who plans to enroll her in the district in which she is a teacher.

“They didn't believe in vaccines, and you try to talk to them, and she just didn't like that. Didn't trust it, I guess. She would be there for her kids right now if she had been vaccinated," Jones said in an interview. Lydia's views changed on her deathbed. "Before she got intubated, one of the last things she told her sister was 'please make sure my children get vaccinated,'" Jones said. The kids too tested positive for the virus but only experienced mild symptoms. Till midnight on August 18, the GoFundMe campaign raised $61,791 of their $80,000 goal.