Mother of truck driver who died from COVID-19 pleading for protests to stop

Mother who lost son speaks against protests From CTV Kitchener's Nicole Lampa: A mother who lost her son to COVID-19 is speaking out against the protests.

An Ontario woman who lost her son, who was a truck driver, to COVID-19 last fall is pleading with drivers across the country to stop their protests.

"What I’m trying to do is talk to truckers who say they don't like mandates," said Margaret Makins during a virtual interview. "Well how come they got a driver's licence? How come they have their kids wear a helmet when they're bicycling? I'm beginning to get angry with the whole thing."

Makins said her 70-year-old son David Mitchell wasn't vaccinated against COVID-19.

"He never once told us that he did not believe in vaccinations. He just said 'mom, I haven't had the time. Well obviously he ran out of time," said Makins.

Makins stressed her son did not have any underlying health conditions when he fell ill last September.

Mitchell was soon hospitalized at Cambridge Memorial Hospital with COVID-19, and then spent weeks in the ICU before he died.

Makins said losing Mitchell was more difficult than when her two other children died from cancer.

She recalled being able to talk with her two other children right before they had passed.

But with Mitchell, Makins said for the three weeks he was in the ICU she could only tell him how much he was loved and found it hard having the one-sided conversations.

"I was never able … to hear him answer me," Makins emotionally remembered.

A celebration of life was held soon after for the popular motorcycle enthusiast.

It was held at Riverbend Grillhouse in Glen Morris, a favourite neighborhood spot that Mitchell visited regularly.

"He would buy four to five dinners. We thought he was just taking them home," said Bonnie Hyne, owner of the restaurant. "But he'd load them up on his motorcycle and he would actually go and deliver them to people who needed food."

But the recent scenes of the trucker protests nation-wide have struck a nerve with Mitchell's mother,​ who says her son would likely speak up if he had survived.

"He would tell every trucker he could reach to get vaccinated. I'm sure he's not happy with what he's had to put his family through. I don't know what more I can say other than to beg these truckers. They live in a wonderful country, let's get on with it," said Makins.