A MAN who believed the coronavirus was a hoax has issued an emotional plea to others to take it seriously after he lost his wife to the virus.
Florida native Brian Lee Hitchens and his wife, Erin, a pastor, had read online conspiracy theories stating that coronavirus was a hoax, or just 'a little flu'-- not as deadly as the world was making it out to be.
The pair therefore did not immediately seek medical advice when they both fell ill at the end of April, waiting days until their condition deteriorated before they received medical attention-- and were both subsequently diagnosed with the respiratory disease.
Providing regular updates on Facebook, the formerly sceptic Brian told his friends how he was beginning to feel better but his wife, Erin, had been put on a ventilator and had become critically ill.
Erin, who suffered from asthma and a sleeping disorder, passed away from complications from the virus at the beginning of August at the age of 46.
Brian and Erin were both hospitalised with the virus, and Erin later passed away at the age of 46. (Facebook / Brian Lee Hitchens)Brian Lee Hitchens spoke to BBC News where he admitted the pair had not followed the health guidance after reading conspiracy theories surrounding the virus, with Brian, who works as a taxi driver, continuing to work and collecting his wife's medicine without socially distancing or wearing a mask.
The couple were torn between believing the virus was a hoax linked to 5G or thinking it was a real ailment but not as dangerous as the media were making it out to be, he explained.
In a viral Facebook post in May, the Floridian begged others who had read conspiracy theories to "please use wisdom and don't be foolish like I was".
"Looking back I should have [worn] a mask in the beginning but I didn't and perhaps I'm paying the price for it now."
Many people still think that the Coronavirus is a fake crisis which at one time I did too and not that I thought it wasn...
Posted by Brian Lee Hitchens on Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Erin died a few weeks later, after his plea had gone viral around the world.
"I can't change the past," he told BBC News. "I can only live in today and make better choices for the future.
"She's no longer suffering, but in peace. I go through times missing her, but I know she's in a better place."
