Vegan who refused Covid jab in stand against animal testing dies from virus after two-week hospital battle

A vegan who refused the Covid-19 vaccine in a stand against animal testing has dies from the virus following a two-week battle in hospital.

Glynn Steel, 54, fought for his life in intensive care and begged nurses for the jab after falling ill with coronavirus.

Sadly his pleas came too late to save him and he died from the virus at Worcestershire Royal Hospital  on 16 November.

He was just two months from celebrating his 55th birthday and planned to retire to spend more time travelling and looking after animals.

‘I wish I’d had the vaccine’

In his final words to his wife Emma, 50, Mr Steel said “I wish I’d had the vaccine” after admitting he had “never felt so ill”.

Mrs Steel, who is double jabbed, now faces an “empty future alone” and is urging other people to take up the offer of vaccination.

She said: “I insist to everyone I know to get the vaccine.

"The last thing Glynn said to me was ‘I have never felt so ill, I wish that I had had the vaccine’. It was heart wrenching.

"He begged for the vaccine when he was in intensive care before he went on life support but they said that it was too late.

"I’ve been crying myself into a dehydration every night and letting the tears flow like a river in the morning, and waking up in the night crying.

"It’s having to tell people that loved him that they will never see him again and seeing that pain in them. I’m used to trying to make people laugh, not cry.

"He was a very gentle soul, he was a vegan and didn’t want the Covid vaccine because it was tested on animals."

‘With him until the end’

Mr Steel, a field service engineer, was hesitant to get the vaccine after reading the producers, including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, had tested the jabs on animals.

The 54 year-old vegan was an avid animal lover and cared for six rescue cats and dogs at his home in Malvern, Worcestershire, and brought a dog in need back with him from a holiday in Sri Lanker.

His Covid-19 symptoms initially started with just a cold but gradually got worse.

He tested positive for coronavirus on 27 October and due to his age and unvaccinated status he quickly deteriorated, forcing his wife to call for an ambulance on 2 November.

Mrs Steel was told no ambulances were available meaning she had to take her unconscious husband, who weighed 19-stone, to hospital by herself.

When she arrived, she found 12 ambulances were queuing outside Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

She explained: “I still don’t know how I got him in my car. He was so heavy that I couldn’t even push him in a wheelchair at the hospital.

"Eventually a young lad appeared and offered to help, he was there because his mum was also unwell and couldn’t get an ambulance either, so he had to bring her to the hospital like I did."

Mr Steel was quickly admitted to intensive care and was put on life support and in an induced coma by 10 November.

He sadly died within 20 minutes of his life support being switched off and his wife is still struggling to imagine life without him.

Mrs Steel added: “I was with him when he died. I was wearing a full PPE kit so I couldn’t touch him, but they played his favourite music by the Sex Pistols and I stayed with him until the end.

"I will forever miss our friendship, our partnership, our love, and our connection to each other.

"I sometimes think I need to text the word TALK to the suicide hotline when my thoughts get really loud and scary and take over".

A Gofundme page has been set up by Mr Steel’s niece Charlotte with the aim of raising money for his funeral.

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