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'Every day I wish we would have took that shot' | Killeen man loses mother-in-law, sees wife paralyzed due to COVID-19

Victor Roman's family, and extended family, are now all vaccinated after COVID-19 look away a loved one. They hope it won't happen to others.

KILLEEN, Texas — Victor Roman and nearly all his extended family had initially not chosen not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. There were many reasons. 

The vaccine wasn't FDA-approved yet. They worried it was rushed. They worried there could be side effects. Even Roman's wife, who works for Baylor Scott and White, had reservations.

"My wife didn't believe in the shot. She was scared of it. Since she worked in the medical field I went with what she was saying," Roman said. 

Today, the family is fully vaccinated. But only after tragedy struck. Victor Roman reached out to 6 News this week so that others could hear their story. 

In May 2021, Roman's family and his wife's family all contracted COVID-19 at once. His wife, Jeanene Zavala went into the hospital May 6. His mother-in-law, Margie Mireles went in a few days after.

Roman said his mother-in-law had always been against getting the vaccine. After just four days in the hospital, she was frantically calling family members so they would get vaccinated.

"She started calling everybody, even in San Antonio, saying 'Please take the shot, you don't want to be in the hospital like I am now,'" Roman said.

After two weeks, Mireles was on a ventilator, and Roman's wife was getting worse. Doctors told the family on May 24, Zavala may not make it.

"Her heart stopped. They had to revive her. They actually called the whole family and said she wasn't going to make it over night," Roman said.

His wife survived, but suffered a stroke that paralyzed the right side of her body and initially left her unable to speak. Roman has been by her side every evening, doing speech therapy to try and help her re-learn basic words. It's slow progress, but Zavala can once again count to seven.

Then on June 17, Roman's mother-in-law passed away.

"We didn't want to let her go, but she was suffering," Roman said.

Roman and his family listened to their mother-in-law and got vaccinated, but the regret is still there.

"Every day I wish we would have took that shot before, when they first told us to take it," Roman said. "If I could change anything, everyone would have took the shot."

Only one member of the Mireles family had been vaccinated prior to May --Margie Mireles's son, Steven.

Steven Mireles told 6 News Thursday he had believed it was the right thing to do, but even he had his doubts. He had texted his mother that he got the shot earlier in the year. She texted back "good luck."

Steven Mireles told 6 News he was initially afraid to push his family to get it, because he still didn't know everything about the vaccine.

"I was scared to tell them to get it because I had to have faith that it worked; and it did," Mireles said.

Still, there was no condemnation in Steven Mireles's voice as he talked about his family's decision. He only wished he had done more.

"I regret that I didn't tell my mom... tell my family enough," Steven Mireles said. "I only wish I had took that risk and convinced them. Once they are in the bed and fighting for their lives it's too late... I wish I had went to the house and convinced them to do it."

Roman hopes the tragedy that their family experienced will at least help others avoid the same thing.

"Right now, I just don't want anyone to think this is not real. It is real, it's out there," Roman said. "Speak with other people who have taken the shot... It's not going to make you sick with COVID, it's not going to hurt, it's going to give you some protection where you don't have to be hospitalized. That's very important to get that message out."

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