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One week after getting COVID-19, this Idaho lawmaker's mom died from the virus

Rep. Greg Chaney's 74-year-old mother, who was unvaccinated, died after spending three days in the ICU.

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CALDWELL, Idaho — Rep. Greg Chaney of Caldwell is mourning the loss of his mother after she died from COVID-19.

He said his sister and her husband came down with the virus in mid-September, which then spread to his 74-year-old mother, Judy Page, who lives with them.

He told KTVB all three were unvaccinated. 

"(My mom) wasn't gullible, and I guess that's one thing I've tried to make clear," Rep. Chaney said. "She was the first in her family to graduate with a bachelor's degree, she got a master's degree, so she was an intelligent person who made her own decision."

Rep. Chaney said he believes that his mom was misled by misinformation

"I think she was skeptical about whether it was really as bad as it was billed to be," Rep. Chaney said. "I think she viewed it as 'I've been through a lot of stuff in my time on this planet and this is just another thing in the stuffing box.'"

"I think there was enough out there that validated her skepticism."

Page started to experience symptoms on Monday night, and by Saturday, she was admitted into the ICU at West Valley Medical Center.

One week after becoming sick, she passed away.

RELATED: Projection shows Idaho could hit COVID peak by mid-November

"I don't put her decision at anybody's feet but her own, but there is a little difficulty there reconciling," he said. "She (died), but she chose this path and you don't want to necessarily be angry at her but the idea that she made that decision kind of messes with your brain a little bit."

Part of the problem, Rep. Chaney said, is the messaging being put out by those in power.

"I think there are those out there who know better and are saying it anyway and then there are those who, even elected officials are sincere believers in the misinformation because they themselves have been deceived but there's a good number of them that know better," he said. "It's not virtuous to spread misinformation and if there's a political benefit to it it's going to keep happening."

Nearly two weeks after her death, Rep. Chaney said that he wishes he would have talked to her about getting vaccinated.

RELATED: Increased misinformation surrounding COVID-19 prompting concerns for healthcare worker safety

"I was very open about having gotten vaccinated myself," he said. "She was more of the attitude that she was tough, she'd handled a lot of stuff in the past. I never point blank said, 'you need to get vaccinated'. Maybe I should have."

However, he said he doesn't know if it would have helped.

RELATED: Latest Idaho COVID-19 case and vaccine numbers: Interactive graphs and maps tracking the pandemic

"I don't if it would have made a difference and I don't know if a mandate would have made a difference," he said. "Mom became good at a lot of things during her life but being told what to do was never one of them."

Rep. Chaney said, like a lot of other families across the country, there are differing opinions within his own family on getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Every single thing that happened was preventable, 100 percent, and there's no reason to put your family through something like this or to put your neighbors through diminished care for something that's absolutely preventable and people need to get vaccinated."

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