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Before his death from Covid-19, former US State Senator Larry Dixon spoke to his wife of 53 years from her hospital bed and asked her to broadcast a warning.
“Honey, we blew it. We just let our guard down, ”recalled former Alabama senator Dr. David Thrasher, a pulmonologist and friend of Dixon.
Phillip Rawls / AP
Republican United States State Senator Larry Dixon, 78, died on December 4 of complications from Covid-19. Before his death, Dixon spoke to his wife of 53 years from her hospital bed and asked her to convey a warning about how easily the virus can be spread in casual gatherings.
Dixon, 78, died Friday of complications from Covid-19. Thrasher said his longtime friend had been more careful, but that he may have contracted the virus after meeting friends.
“Larry has been thorough with the masks, doing everything right, social distancing since March … He slipped up,” Thrasher said. Dixon met friends at a local restaurant to catch up and smoke cigars, a social gathering that friends referred to as a “prayer meeting.” Three people in the meeting became ill, Thrasher said.
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“The last thing he said to him was, ‘Gaynell, I love you. We have to tell people this is real, ”Thrasher said.
Thrasher said he is telling his friend’s story with the family’s permission in hopes that people can learn how easily the virus can be spread in casual gatherings. He said that it is also important to seek medical attention when you first get sick.
Alabama and much of the US are seeing a spike in Covid-19 cases after Thanksgiving gatherings. In the past two weeks, the state has set records for the number of cases reported each day and the number of people in state hospitals with Covid-19.
The state health department has reported more than 276,000 confirmed and probable virus cases and at least 3,942 confirmed and probable virus deaths in Alabama. While the virus only causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, it can be deadly for the elderly and people with other serious health problems.
The hope generated by the imminent arrival of the vaccine is dimmed by what medical officials fear that it will spread uncontrollably before it is widely available.
“I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I can also see the engine coming towards me,” Thrasher said. “The next four months are going to see more devastation and catastrophic problems with public health than we’ve probably seen since 1918. It’s going to be very, very bad.”
Dixon served as executive director of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners from 1981 until his retirement in 2016. A Republican, Dixon was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1978 and to the Alabama Senate in 1983. He retired from the Alabama Legislature in 2010.
