A Georgia football player died just days after testing positive for the COVID-19 delta variant. However, his mother blames a hospital, which she says discharged her son twice before his death.
Tosha Nettles told WGCL-TV that her son, Tyler Fairley, tested positive for the virus on July 23, and was taken to Wellstar Douglas Hospital in Douglasville, Georgia, a suburban neighborhood in Atlanta. On his initial visit, the 17-year-old, who was unvaccinated, was diagnosed with pneumonia and sent home. On his second visit, the athlete was discharged from the hospital and told to stay hydrated.
Fairley, who was described as a bubbly kid, at one point, became unresponsive during his visit, which Nettles believes may have offended doctors “because his words were, ‘This is COVID, this is what we’ve been seeing for a year and a half. It’s just got to run its course.’ ”
She added, “ ‘Well, he’s sick, and I mean he’s not disrespectful, never been in trouble,’ and I said, ‘This is strange for me too. This is not my son, which is why we’re here.’ ”
She continued, “One of the male nurses told the other male nurse we can’t hurt ourselves trying to help him get in this car. We’ve got to go. And they let go of him, and he fell flat on his face inside the back seat of my car. I was like can you all observe him for a while? Because I said, this is not him. He’s not talking, he’s not responding, and they were like he’s just in pain because of COVID.”
Soon after, Nettles and her husband took the teen to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Scottish Rite Hospital, where she says he was immediately intubated. Nettles said that medical personnel were “screaming at us saying how long have you had him like this? He is seizing, he is seizing.”
She informed them that the family had just left another facility where the teenager was discharged. However, it was too late. The burgeoning football player died nine days later on Aug. 1.
The mother said she was criticized for not having her son vaccinated. Still, she asks, “What about the level of care that he did not get,” telling local TV news station WSB that “it was as if the doctor didn’t care because this was COVID and he didn’t prevent himself from having COVID because he wasn’t vaccinated.”
She did express regret over not getting him the shot but still questioned whether the vaccine is effective or even whether COVID caused her son’s death. “Do I know that the vaccine would’ve helped what he was going through? I don’t know. Do I even know if that was COVID that caused that? I don’t know, because at the time of death, it was due to no brain activity, which was caused by seizures,” she said.
Wellstar Douglas released a statement following Fairley’s death, extending their condolence to the family:
“We are saddened by the passing of Tyler Fairley. Our thoughts are with his family including the Douglas County High School football team and the Douglas County community during this difficult time. As COVID-19 and variants are continuing to spread throughout our communities, we remain committed to providing high-quality, personalized medical care to every person, regardless of vaccination status. Out of respect for patients and their families, and to comply with federal and state patient privacy laws, we are prohibited from sharing specific details about individual patients.”
Kenja Parks, the principal of Douglas County High School, where Fairley played varsity football released a statement addressing his sudden death, writing, “Tyler was a shining light in our Tiger community. He will always be remembered for his gentle spirit, his grace, his willingness to lend a helping hand, his academic excellence, and his athletic prowess. He was a model son, brother, scholar-athlete, and simply a joy to all who knew him.”
