The family of an unvaccinated man who died with COVID-19 said his death had “ripped the family apart” as they urged people to take up the jab.
Leslie Lawrenson, better known to his family as Les, was an educated and successful man.
The 58-year-old was a solicitor who had a talent for music and magic tricks. He also passionately loved his family.
It was this fierce protectiveness that led Les to urge his family not to take up the offer of a COVID vaccine.
His primary concern surrounded the vaccine‘s long-term effects and he was adamant he could beat the virus using natural immunity.
The Cambridge-trained lawyer made video diaries to try to eradicate fears about the virus.
His family said he genuinely believed he was doing the right thing.
In a video diary entry on his personal social media page, he said: “The idea that we have to be afraid of this bogeyman. This COVID-19, this somehow is a monster. We’ve got to get over this.
“I know it sounds strange and some people may get upset by me saying this but I hope I’ve got it, I hope it is COVID, because I’d rather have the antibodies in my blood, then take the jabs.”
His family said he had a “misguided” belief that because he was in his 50s with no known underlying health conditions, his body could fend off the virus naturally.
His partner Amanda only discovered the videos on his social media page when she was looking for photos of him for the funeral.
She said: “I stumbled across (the video diaries), which were very, very difficult to watch and just horrendous.
“I had no idea what he was recording. They are just heartbreaking to watch, I’d already thought I was broken from it but that, I couldn’t believe it.
“He really believed he was going to get better, and he thought by doing these vlogs and showing people you will be. He thought he was doing good. He wasn’t out to make people ill.
“He actually said, ‘I’m going to fight this, I’m not going to burden the NHS with COVID, I’m going to stay at home. I don’t feel it’s any risk at the moment, I’m fine, I’m going to fight this with my own immune system’.”
Les was not sceptical about all vaccines. He never attended any anti-lockdown protests or entertained anti-mask rhetoric.
Carla Hodges, Les’s step-daughter, said he “fell down a rabbit hole”.
Online misinformation compounded his own worries.
She said: “I just don’t feel that we’ve really accepted that Les isn’t here anymore, because the whole last few weeks was such a whirlwind and so crazy.
“I don’t want anybody to have to go through what we’ve just gone through as a family, it’s horrendous. It’s awful.
“It’s heartbreaking and I’ve got my two youngest brothers now they’ve lost their dad and there’s nothing we can do to change that and it breaks my heart every day.”
The family want others who are reluctant to get the vaccine to reconsider.
They believe things could have been very different.
“Only a few months ago, 100% not having it, not having it. And now I’ve done a complete U-turn on the vaccine,” Amanda told Sky News.
“Once you’ve been through what we’ve been through, people understand it. It’s so sick, it’s so dangerous, it’s a killer, and vaccines are out there to protect us now.
“And that’s what I’m trying to get across to people – please, please rethink. Don’t be a family like ours and have regrets.”
Les’s family said they have paid the ultimate price for the mistaken belief that they did not need the vaccine.
They want others to reconsider, whilst they rebuild.
We need to stop playing into the hands of the Establishment, with more division! There are so many more personal choices that can supposedly kill and we don’t make a hoo-ha about that! Remember the Pitchfork/Torch People Cartoon!
https://fullfact.org/online/fully-vaccinated-deaths-daily-expose/
Whether you are fully vaccinated or not at all (Your Personal CHOICE) 1. You remain at risk! 2. You need to use PPE that will protect you and others around you!
This is a deadly virus and neither vaxxers nor anti-vaxxers are right or safe, this is just the new brexiteers vs remoaners all over again and look how that all panned out!
We will never have “normal” life again, global warming will see these Designer Viruses mutate into something beyond the scope of Science, plus add the release of what is hidden in the permafrost!
This is a volatile planet, every moment is precious, just protect yourself and others and enjoy what you can of it!
The problem is that you have not mentioned within the personal choice argument an individual’s capacity to infect others or impose grief… on to others for example family. How many wear PPE around the house with family or friends in situ. Individual responsibility has to be understood.
Choices have to be quantified and qualified.
You are right that the world is rotting from within and humanity is almost entirely to blame but a very complicated discussion needs to be had and many do not have the tools to participate at this time.
~60% Vaccinated Deaths ~40% Unvaccinated deaths, one person became infected by 2 strains at the same time. If you are vaccinated and contract delta or whatever other variant, that is still coming our way, you can’t protect your loved ones either, as you are not vaccinated against them. There has been many years of Humans suffering Flu but Big Pharma’s Nr 1 Priority is to sell drugs not cure lucrative conditions.
For example Depression, it’s big money, researchers found that a continued 6 Monthly/Annual treatment of Psilocybin greatly improved people’s lives and even kept depression at bay for years in some cases and without the need for therapy! I wonder why the NHS Big Wigs are not all over this! Anyway that is Big Pharma and that is why we still contract Colds/Flu and suffer with Depression.
I would never argue that someone should not have the vaccine, I am arguing people should not be victimised, stereotyped and alienated for refusing, it is their right, it is their life, before we know it there will be Sturmtruppen mob restraints in the streets and forceful vaccination or worse concentration camps for the unvaccinated!
Ebola has a new Variant The Marburg Virus! There is a much larger thing at play than ‘some people refusing to take a jab’! I’m not easily sold on conspiracy even if it is hard to talk about Covid and Current time without sounding at least a bit taken by conspiracies, but REALLY The PEOPLE need to start working together to find out what is really going on. This is not Natural and Current Events are not normal, Global Warming aside!