Current:Home > StocksBefore Dying, An Unvaccinated TikTok User Begged Others Not to Repeat Her Mistake -Wealth Evolution Experts
Before Dying, An Unvaccinated TikTok User Begged Others Not to Repeat Her Mistake
View
Date:2025-04-16 14:33:45
"I shouldn't have waited."
In the final video posted on her TikTok account, Megan Alexandra Blankenbiller pleaded with her followers not to make the same mistake she did — waiting to get the COVID-19 vaccine — that eventually cost her her life.
Blankenbiller, or @atasteofalex on TikTok, died of COVID-19 last month after documenting her journey with the virus through a series of short videos. She first announced that she'd gotten COVID-19 on Aug. 13 with a video of herself in the hospital. In the caption, she urged others: "DO NOT WAIT TO GET VACCINATED! Go now!!"
It was a sentiment that she echoed in her next three videos.
In one video, she dispelled the misconception that those who are vaccinated cannot get COVID-19 and explained that it helps your body withstand the virus if you do get it. In her next, she said she'd been afraid to get the vaccine. She also said that since she'd been at the hospital, she'd been hearing the "moans and the screams of people in pain" — the grief of those who had likely lost their loved ones.
In her final video, filmed in a hospital bed as the others had been, she admitted that it was getting harder to talk but shared her own story: She was not against vaccines but had been taking time to research and wanted to get vaccinated at the same time as her family — a decision she said she came to regret.
"I do think it was a mistake. I shouldn't have waited," she said. "If you are even 70% sure that you want the vaccine, go get it. Don't wait. Go get it because hopefully if you get it, then you won't end up in the hospital like me, OK?"
Blankenbiller died nine days after her last video was posted Aug. 15, CNN reported. She was 31. Before her death, she'd made appointments to get vaccinated with her mother and sisters, but she became sick before she was able to get the vaccine, according to WebMD.
Blankenbiller's story is similar to many that have been shared in recent months of those who did not get vaccinated but, after contracting COVID-19, wished they had. Some of those people have begun encouraging others to get the shot. Health officials have said they hope these stories will raise vaccination rates and save lives.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Shipping Group Leaps Into Europe’s Top 10 Polluters List
- China will end its COVID-19 quarantine requirement for incoming passengers
- 13 Things You Can Shop Without Paying Full Price for This Weekend
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Bleeding and in pain, she couldn't get 2 Louisiana ERs to answer: Is it a miscarriage?
- Lily-Rose Depp Confirms Months-Long Romance With Crush 070 Shake
- Hillary Clinton Finally Campaigns on Climate, With Al Gore at Her Side
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Today’s Climate: September 16, 2010
Ranking
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Shop the Best Lululemon Deals: $78 Tank Tops for $29, $39 Biker Shorts & More
- Rebuilding collapsed portion of I-95 in Philadelphia will take months, Pennsylvania governor says
- Taylor Swift and Matty Healy Spotted Holding Hands Amid Dating Rumors
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- John Cena and Wife Shay Shariatzadeh Pack PDA During Rare Date Night at Fast X Premiere
- Law requires former research chimps to be retired at a federal sanctuary, court says
- EPA’s Fracking Finding Misled on Threat to Drinking Water, Scientists Conclude
Recommendation
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
Pipeline Expansion Threatens U.S. Climate Goals, Study Says
Climate Change Treated as Afterthought in Second Presidential Debate
Algae Fuel Inches Toward Price Parity with Oil
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
Local Bans on Fracking Hang in the Balance in Colorado Ballot Fight
UN watchdog says landmines are placed around Ukrainian nuke plant occupied by Russia
U.S. Solar Market Booms, With Utility-Scale Projects Leading the Way