North Texas mom’s dying wish: Get vaccinated for COVID to prevent tragedy, end pandemic
A day after she was admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 treatment, Fort Worth native Paige Ruiz, pregnant with her second child, underwent an emergency C-section Aug. 2. She died of COVID-19 related complications on Sunday and wished she had been vaccinated, according to her family.
The 32-year-old Ruiz had been married to her husband, Daniel, since 2017. Together they had two daughters, a 2-year-old and a newborn.
Ruiz’s brother, Cameron Zinsou, said Ruiz was fiercely passionate about her work, loyal to the people she cared about and protective of her children. An alumna of TCU, Ruiz had recently been promoted to a student development job at Joshua ISD.
“She had a radiant smile,” Zinsou said. “She also carried a self-assuredness, a confidence that created its own kind of magnetism that drew people toward her.”
Zinsou said his sister was always a strong supporter of vaccination, but because the limited studies available didn’t have a definitive recommendation for pregnant women, she wanted to wait until after she gave birth.
“She told me, when I spoke to her about it a few months ago, ‘If I got vaccinated and something happened to my baby, I would never be able to forgive myself’,” Zinsou said.
One of Ruiz’s last wishes was for everyone who can get vaccinated to do so as soon as possible to move past the pandemic, he said.
On Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data suggesting the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for pregnant people.
In a Q&A with Dr. Shanna Combs, a pediatric gynecologist at Cook Children’s Medical Center, published on the hospital’s website Friday, Combs said those who are pregnant are at a higher risk of getting sick from COVID and, once infected, become sicker than the average patient.
Based on evidence from other vaccines, such as the flu and whooping cough vaccinations, Combs said pregnant women gain antibodies to better fight infection. Those antibodies can also be given to the baby through the placenta.
“Thus far, we have not seen any fetal abnormalities or developing abnormality in babies of moms who got the COVID vaccine,” Combs said. “So even in the first trimester, we still recommend it.”
As of late July, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommend the vaccine during pregnancy.
Natasha Zinsou, Ruiz’s sister, started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with funeral expenses. Within four days of creating the fundraiser, over $50,000 has been donated, exceeding the original goal.
“It’s truly staggering to see the immediate and widespread response from so many people both in the D-FW area and across the country,” Cameron Zinsou said. “It’s really inspiring and breathtaking to witness this happening in real time.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 3:55 PM.
