“Leave the girl to rest in peace”: Sister of woman who died asks anti-vaxxers to stop using her image

Nicole Cahill passed away earlier this year, but her family say that her image is being used to push an anti-vaccine message on social media.

The sister of a woman who died earlier this year has asked anti-vaxxers to refrain from using her image to promote their message. Nicole Cahill from Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford passed away in March of this year at the age of 22. She had many health problems for several years, but her family have said that anti-vaxxers are wrongfully linking her death to the Covid-19 vaccine. As a child, Nicole became very ill following a serious viral infection. She spent two months receiving treatment in Temple Street Children's Hospital, and then a further two years at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire. Nicole also received specialist treatment at a medical facility in New York. Her sister Deb told LiveLine that Nicole's photo is being "splashed across social media" by anti-vaxxers to further their agenda. https://twitter.com/rteliveline/status/1430151362176851968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1430151362176851968%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rte.ie%2Fnews%2Fcoronavirus%2F2021%2F0824%2F1242637-covid-nicole-cahill%2F Deb said: "Nicole should be remembered for the bubbly person she was." She added that her death was not related to receiving the vaccine, and that anyone who uses her photo to promote that message is "sick and shouldn't be doing it". Deb said that the anti-vaccine social media campaigns "degrade" Nicole's memory. She said: "At the end of the day, Nicole passed away and we have to grieve her loss. She didn't die from the vaccine. Leave the girl to rest in peace and be remembered the way we want her to be remembered." After her death, Nicole's family said that she was "the most loving, brave and beautiful human being." Ireland's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan has acknowledged the "dangerous misinformation in relation to vaccination" circulating online. At a recent NPHET briefing, he encouraged those who have concerns or doubts about the vaccine to bring them up with their GP.