THEODORE, Ala. (WKRG) — A pregnant nurse and her unborn child died after suffering from complications related to COVID-19, and now her husband is speaking out and urging others to get vaccinated.
Haley Richardson, 32, worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. She and her husband, Jordan Richardson, lived in Theodore with their 2-year-old daughter Katie.
Jordan tells WKRG News 5 Haley was unvaccinated and became ill after contracting COVID-19 at the end of July.
She was admitted to the hospital at the beginning of August when her symptoms started to worsen and was eventually admitted to the ICU, where she spent the last days of life.
Haley was almost seven months pregnant with her baby girl when she was admitted to the hospital. The baby died on Aug. 18. Haley passed away just two days later on Aug. 20.
Jordan says they planned to name their second daughter Ryleigh Beth. Ryleigh Beth was expected to be born in November.
“I was excited. I already have a little girl and everybody asked when we were trying for our second, ‘You want a boy? You want a boy?’ And I told them, ‘Nope, I want another girl. I love her to death, and I was so excited when I found out that’s what we were having,” Jordan said.
Jordan said after Haley became infected with COVID-19, she became ill quickly. He says she was unvaccinated because they were planning to get pregnant with their second baby, and she was worried about the possible side effects it could have on the baby.
“We were just worried that there may be complications from that standpoint with having a baby and once she was pregnant, so she was not vaccinated. I think she would have advocated for it though, knowing this would be the outcome,” Jordan said.
Jordan is urging other expectant mothers to get vaccinated so other families don’t have to go through the same pain he is feeling.
Through the immense heartbreak, Jordan says he’s taking things one day at a time with his daughter Katie and trying to find the bright side of things.
“It’s kind of odd to say but she’s got one up there and I got one down here to take care of, so it makes it a little bit easier,” Jordan said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Jordan and his family.
Jordan says whatever funds they have leftover that they don’t need will be donated to COVID-19 relief funds in Haley’s memory.