Former anti-vaxxer pleads with Quebecers to get vaccinated after almost losing daughter to virus
A former anti-vaxxer in Quebec is pleading with others to get vaccinated after she nearly lost her daughter to the virus.
Sophie Leger lives with her family of eight in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que. Her 21-year-old daughter, Melodie, used to be against the vaccine, before she caught COVID-19 last month.
Leger remembers the early symptoms.
“Her back hurt … her head hurt … she couldn’t move,” she said.
Melodie's condition got worse. She ended up at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal by late September, where she fell into a coma.
“The diagnosis was simple,” said her mother. “Melodie must have died.”
Doctors didn't think she'd make it. Melodie was intubated, breathing with the help of a respirator. Leger says her heart actually stopped three times.
“We are talking about three weeks,” said Leger. “Three weeks of paralysis … three weeks of intubation [and] strong drugs.”
For those three weeks, Melodie remained in a coma, until she recovered -- something leger described as nothing short of a miracle.
MELODIE’S RETURN
Melodie finally returned home Sunday while her mother was still in conversation with CTV News.
“Oh mon Dieu!” exclaimed Leger, as she heard her daughter enter the apartment.
- Watch CTV’s Billy Shields’ report above to see Leger’s reaction the moment her daughter returned from the hospital
Upon her return, Melodie said her time in hospital had changed “everything.”
“My whole life and perspective changed completely,” she said, adding that she plans on getting the vaccine as soon as she can.
Her mother says misinformation online contributed to her hesitancy to get the shot before getting sick.
She called that misinformation “dangerous for mankind.”
“Now I have a big mission,” she said. “To make people aware of the importance of the vaccine.”
A majority of recent COVID-19 cases reported in Quebec have been found among those who had gotten their first dose of a vaccine less than two weeks prior, or never got a shot at all.
On Sunday, 341 of the 532 cases were found among that group. Public health says unvaccinated people are 22.8 times more likely to be hospitalized after catching COVID-19.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Funeral today for broadcasting legend and voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada' Bob Cole
A funeral is being held today for hockey broadcasting legend Bob Cole in his hometown of St. John's, N.L.
Foreign meddling 'did not affect' overall federal election results: inquiry report
Foreign interference by China did not affect the overall results of the 2019 and 2021 general elections won by Justin Trudeau's Liberals, a federal commission of inquiry has found.