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Health

25th Aug 2021

Mum urges vaccinations after two sons die of Covid hours apart

Sarah McKenna Barry

A fundraiser to support Lisa has since been set up.

A mother from Florida has urged members of the public to get vaccinated against Covid-19 after she lost two of her sons to the virus.

Lisa Brandon’s family contracted Covid earlier this summer and her sons Aaron (35) and Free (41) became very ill.

Ms Brandon brought them to the hospital where it transpired that they had developed double pneumonia. They were then admitted to the intensive care unit.

Free passed away on August 12, while Aaron died the next day.

Lisa had been vaccinated before contracting the virus, and only experienced mild symptoms.

She now says that she wishes she was more persistent in encouraging her sons to take the vaccine.

Lisa told News4Jax, a Jacksonville-based news station, that she’s sharing her story so no one else has to lose their children this way.

She said: “It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. The only reason I’m doing this is to put the word out to please get vaccinated.”

The mother, who lost another son five years ago, said that her boys were “her life”, and were all that she lived for.

“I think they would have been alive today if they would have gotten their shot,” she said. “I wish I could have made them do it. And now it’s too late.”

A GoFundMe has been set up by a friend of the family, Brittany Pequignot, to help support Lisa.

Since their death, Lisa has had to move out of her home as she had previously covered the cost of rent with Aaron and Free.

The fundraiser description reads: “Lisa is distraught and heartbroken to lose all three of her boys, two of them in a span of 24 hours. (….) She is now faced with the daunting task of figuring out how to arrange funerals for both of her boys by herself.

“She lives on social security and depended on Aaron and Free, not only for companionship and love, but to help with the bills and groceries as well.”