Iowa school board candidate's unvaccinated and cancer survivor wife, 51, dies from COVID-19 after opting out of vaccine because of misinformed concerns it would affect her lone kidney
The unvaccinated wife of an Iowa school board candidate has died of COVID-19, her husband said on Friday.
Trent Murphy, from Ankeny, shared on Facebook the passing of his wife Renee Murphy, 51, who had opted out of the COVID-19 shot because of concerns it would affect her lone kidney after she lost the other battling cancer.
'We talked about it, we discussed it, we had done all that,' her husband told the Des Moine Register. He said she just 'wasn't ready to get the vaccine.'
COVID-19 vaccines have not been contraindicated for people with kidney diseases and experts say there is no evidence of adversary effects.
Renee, who was a teacher at the Ankeny Leadership Institute, wore a mask as a protection against the virus, her husband said.
Renee Murphy, 51, (left) had opted out of the COVID-19 shot because of concerns it would affect her lone kidney after she lost the other battling cancer.
Her husband, Trent Murphy, who is an Ankeny Community School Board candidate confirmed the news on Facebook
Renee, who was a teacher at the Ankeny Leadership Institute, wore a mask as a protection against the virus, her husband said
COVID-19 vaccines have not been contraindicated for people with kidney diseases and experts say there is no evidence of adversary effects. The US has reported more than 700,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic started
He had been updating family and friends daily about her status since she became infected with COVID-19 in early September.
Murphy, who is vaccinated against COVID and is looking forward to receiving the booster shot, said he will stay in the race to become a member of the Ankeny Community School Board.
The election is in two weeks. 'If I dropped out, I would have an angel on my back, not very happy,' he told the Des Moine Register.
Murphy has defended parental rights when it comes to masks and supported a decision by a judge to overturn a ban on mask mandates in the state.
The couple had been married for 30 years. They met in the late 1980s and wedded in July of 1991. They have two daughters.
Murphy asked people for 'positive' memories about his wife instead of condolences.
'If I dropped out, I would have an angel on my back, not very happy,' Trent Murphy said
The couple had been married for 30 years. They met in the late 1980s and wedded in July of 1991. They have two daughters
'Just one of my 'positive' memories is hearing her laugh and giggle from around the corner as she was playing with the cats. It was always a fun end to the day,' he wrote on Facebook.
Murphy said every anniversary he gave Renee a yellow flower.
'That's all I could afford when I first started dating her on Valentine's Day, and I went to her house and that's all I had was the one yellow rose because everything else was sold,' Trent Murphy told the Register.
'She had a couple of other guys that wanted to date her. She had all the teddy bears and all the big set of roses, and I was just like, 'I'm a poor college kid and here's my one rose.' But she liked that one rose better,' he added.
The Ankeny Chamber of Commerce, where Renne Murphy was a member, shared a heartfelt statement about her passing.
'For those lucky enough to know Renee' you know that she was the loving energy in any room with the biggest smile and the warmest heart.
'For our Chamber she held many posts, but most importantly, Renee' brought her joy of life and love of people to all she did, giving generously of her time and resources to make the Chamber and the Ankeny community the best it could be.'
Renee was also a former catechist, eucharist minister, and religious education teacher for Our Lady's Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Ankeny.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to causes close to Renee's heart such as contributing to scholarships at Simpson College, The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University, and the James Arthur Albert Foundation.
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