My entire family took the shots one by one. They respected my choice not to get vaccinated, wear a mask, or get tested, but they believed I was at great risk of dying because I was unvaccinated. During one period, there was talk of limiting train travel to just 150 kilometers (to minimize the risk of spreading infection), and at the same time, there were strict restrictions on socializing altogether.

My family lived 300 kilometers away, and my mother didn’t dare let me visit her. My sister, who lived within walking distance of her, visited her every day. I wasn’t allowed to visit them for over a year until they finally felt safe meeting me.

Later, my mother developed severe shingles, which even the doctor couldn’t explain how she had contracted. A few months after the shingles, she began having trouble breathing, and it progressed rapidly. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance, where they discovered a tumor in her lung the size of a tennis ball and numerous metastases in both lungs. Within a month, she was gone.

I’m so grateful I was able to be with her in her final days and hold her hand as she took her last breath.

Anna Norberg (pseudonym)
Sweden