A family in Alabama is mourning after a pregnant nurse, who refused to get vaccinated, died of COVID-19 along with her unborn child.
Haley Mulkey Richardson, 32, was a registered nurse working in a labor and delivery unit at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida.
Three weeks before her passing, Richardson had contracted COVID-19, most likely in late July or early August, a friend - Jason Whatley - told Alabama.com.
At the time, she was living at home with her husband Jordan and young daughter Katie in Theodore, a suburb of Mobile, Alabama.
PICTURED: Haley Mulkey Richardson (left), daughter Katie (center) and husband Jordan Richardson (right) celebrating Christmas in 2019. The Richardson's were expecting a second child before COVID-19 tore the family apart
She was living at home with her husband Jordan and young daughter Katie in Theodore, a suburb of Mobile, Alabama
It is unclear as to whether she became ill while working at the hospital or elsewhere before contracting the virus.
The mother-of-one previously decided to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine as she was scared of suffering life-threatening allergic reactions after hearing unproven claims that the jab could affect fertility.
Richardson's mother, Julie Mulkey, told Alabama.com: 'Haley had anaphylaxis reactions in the past. So for that reason, she felt that it was not safe for her.
'And then, of course, with all the negative reporting that has gone on, what was she to believe about what the vaccine would do to reproduction?
Richardson (center) was a nurse at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, before her COVID-19 related death
'Stuff about that it would destroy a female's eggs and that kind of thing, and she wanted to have her second baby. That made her afraid to get it.'
Pregnant or soon-to-be pregnant women are strongly advised to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which mentioned that there 'is currently no evidence' the vaccine causes fertility problems in women or men.
Richardson's unborn child, named Ryleigh Beth, died on August 18 around the six months pregnancy mark. Richardson, herself, died two days later on August 20.
'It's really hard. It's hard to accept, it's hard to face. We're glad she's not suffering anymore,' said Mulkey.
'After about three or four days in the hospital, the [obstetrician] told her that she was going to lose the baby. And she continued to get worse and worse.'
'At some point, they basically told her that we've got to
