GONZALES, Texas — Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Angel Casares, Abigail Mata Casares' husband, disputes Santos Mata's claims. Santos Mata stands by them.
Santos Mata, 39, has a lot on his plate these days. He's getting ready for his father and sisters' funerals on Tuesday after COVID-19 took their lives, both in August.
"It's hit really hard," he said.
Mata also has to make sure his mother is OK.
"My mom was also infected as well. I didn't think she was going to pull through," Santos said.
She's recovering from COVID-19 and dealing with her husband and daughter's deaths.
Arturo Mata, 65, died from the virus on Aug. 6. Mata said his father was vaccinated.
"He started with the sneezing, the runny nose, the migraine and then eventually the cough," Mata said.
Mata said his father wasn't hospitalized and died at home, unlike his sister.
"I think the shortness of breath, along with the congestion and coughing is what sent her to the hospital," he said.
Mata said his sister was in the ICU for about three weeks, several of those days she was medically unconscious.
Before doctors intubated her, Mata said she had a wish.
"She was saying that she wished she would have got vaccinated because she saw all the other people that were in the E.R., 100% of the people at the time that was in the E.R. were unvaccinated people," Mata said. "It made me feel like I needed to go out and get vaccinated," he said.
But Angel Casares, Abigail Mata Casares' husband, disputes that. He said his wife never said those words.
Santos Mata stands by his statement, citing several staff members at the hospital who treated Casares.
Mata said his sister passed away soon after speaking those words, a little more than a week ago. It wasn't long after that Mata received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
"At first I was really against getting the vaccination. I didn't want to get vaccinated. I was one of the people that said, you know, 'I don't want to get injected with anything that the government has.' But then I started researching more and hearing more about these practitioners that suggest getting vaccinated because it helps protect against this virus," Mata said.
"The thing that changed my mind was the fact that she was waiting for a room for so long and all the hospitals are filled," he said. "They're backed up. There are not enough workers, there are not enough beds. The people that are getting sick are being sent out of state. They're trying to bring health care workers from out of state, and I don't want to be one of those who get sick and they have to send me out of state, because then my family has no way to get up there to be by me. And even if they could, they probably wouldn't be able to anyway because of the protocols."
Mata's father started A & S Recycling more than 30 years ago in Gonzales. He was a fixture in the community.
"He was well known for his great smile, his great attitude. People looked to him for his advice. He was like a father to everybody. He was kind-hearted. Him and my sister were a lot the same. She was a kind-hearted person. She actually saved somebody's life one time when they were choking inside Mr. Taco. She gave them the Heimlich maneuver and was able to save a life," Mata said.
Mata said the family business was run by his father. That's where he believes his family caught COVID-19. Mata said the business will soon upgrade COVID-19 protocols to include temperature checks and testing.
In the meantime, Mata now wants part of his family's legacy to also include a message of awareness – get vaccinated. It could save a life.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: