After promising on social media that he would never wear a mask, Ohio veteran Richard Rose III, 37, died of complications related to the new coronavirus.
According to a shared obituary online, Rose passed away on July 4, just three days after being diagnosed with the virus.
On April 28, Rose shared a Facebook post in which she said, “I wasn’t buying a crappy mask.”
“I got this far by not buying that damn exaggeration,” he wrote.
On July 1, he shared two posts, one saying he was experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and planned to get tested.
“I have been very ill the past few days,” he wrote. “Symptoms of Covid-19. This morning I was finally cleaned up. I must know soon what the results are. I just want to feel good again!”
Later that day, he confirmed that he had tested positive for the disease and was quarantined for 14 days.
On July 2, he shared another update on his symptoms, saying that having the virus “sucks” and mentioning that he was out of breath even while sitting.
After her death was announced, her post about not wearing a mask went viral, with many adding negative comments and suggesting that her death could have been prevented if she had followed the safety guidelines. At that time, Ohio did not order to wear masks; Starting July 7, masks are required in the ‘Red Alert Level 3 Health Emergency’ areas.
The post has generated thousands of actions and reactions, along with more than 800 comments.
Nick Conley, a friend of Rose’s, spoke to the local WOIO news station to defend his friend’s legacy.
“Rick is being killed online right now for his decision not to wear a mask, and that’s not right,” Conley told the outlet. “We should still be compassionate if we agree with someone’s beliefs or not. Someone is deceased and we should have a little compassion for that.”
“You hear about this virus and you don’t expect it to affect people, younger people like us,” Conley continued, echoing the belief that the virus is less likely to affect younger populations. Rose’s family told WOIO that they had no pre-existing health problems.
A similar story went viral earlier this week after a Texas doctor said a man who called the disease “a hoax” and attended a “COVID party” died of the virus.
“Right before the patient died, they looked at their nurse and said, ‘I think I made a mistake, I thought it was a hoax, but it isn’t,'” said Dr. Jane Appleby, medical director of Methodist Healthcare in San Antonio. said to a local affiliate.
Conley told WOIO that she hopes Rose’s death brings home the importance of wearing a mask.
“It is horrible that we have lost Rick, but the even more tragic part of that is who else became infected because of the actions he chose,” Conley said. “… I know many people who have not met someone who they know has been diagnosed with the virus and I wanted people to see that it was real and I hope that people see this happening and people will be more cautious.”
