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‘I chose not to get the vaccine’: B.C. mom battling COVID speaks from her ICU bed
Global News
Even though she was advised to get the COVID vaccine and was assured it was safe, Sharlene Amerl decided against it for herself and her teen daughter – a choice she now regrets.
A B.C. mother of two is sharing her experience battling COVID-19 after she decided not to get vaccinated in the hope that others will choose otherwise.
Sharlene Amerl, from Sooke on Vancouver Island, had leukemia when she was six years old and was worried about how she would react to the ingredients in the COVID vaccines.
She said messages posted on the internet seemed to confirm her fears.
Even though she was advised to get the vaccine and was assured it was safe, Amerl decided against it for herself and her 13-year-old daughter.
However, when her daughter contracted COVID, a few days later Amerl started getting really sick.
“I came down with a really bad headache behind my eyes, cold, shivers, and it just started to progress from there,” she said from her hospital bed Thursday as she struggled to breathe and talk.
“I was very nervous and scared inside but I tried to remain positive it was just a cold.”
She said she became so weak so quickly, all she could do was sleep for about 20 hours a day. She said she took vitamins and stayed hydrated but nothing worked.