Illinois wedding turns to funeral as unvaccinated bride-to-be dies of COVID-19

The family of an unvaccinated Kentucky woman who died from COVID-19 just days after she was supposed to get married is sharing her story in the hopes of encouraging others to get vaccinated.

Samantha Wendell, a 29-year-old surgical technician in Grand Rivers, Kentucky, became engaged to her longtime boyfriend in 2019, and the wedding was set for late August at the same Lisle, Illinois, church where her parents were married, her family has told national media outlets, including NBC News.

But instead she spent much of the late summer in the hospital and ended up on a ventilator, according to family. Her funeral was held at that same church days after her Sept. 10 death. 

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"She was worried about her fertility," a cousin wrote in a Facebook group for COVID-19 survivors and loved ones of those who've died from the virus. "Misinformation killed her."

Wendell and her fiancé were eager to start a family, loved ones said in interviews, and she delayed getting the shot after hearing false claims that it could impact her ability to conceive.

"There is currently no evidence that antibodies made following COVID-19 vaccination or that vaccine ingredients would cause any problems with becoming pregnant now or in the future," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says in response to the rampant rumors about fertility issues, noting that some women even became pregnant while participating in vaccine trials.

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Wendell did eventually change her mind though, according to family, and had an appointment booked to get her first shot when she tested positive for the virus. She was hospitalized within a week.

Since her death, the family has been vocal about sharing their experience in the hopes it will encourage others to take COVID-19 seriously and get their shot, with stories appearing in national outlets such as the Washington Post.