She thought the pandemic was 'political' – then she watched in horror as her husband died of COVID

A woman who recently lost her husband to COVID-19 is now hoping to save lives by urging others to get vaccinated.

Christina Lowe, 32, and her husband Mikel were strongly opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine and masks. They had assumed that because they were relatively young and healthy, the virus would not impact them.

"We thought the vaccine was rushed," Lowe told NBC San Diego. "We thought it was more about money and power than about Americans and protecting the people… We honestly thought that COVID was mostly political."

Mikel, who served as a firefighter for 15 years, contracted COVID-19 about two weeks ago and developed pneumonia.

"I went upstairs to check on him and his face was purple and blue," Christina said. "He was struggling to breathe on oxygen."

Mikel died from COVID-19 on August 29. He was 38 years old.

"He was a firefighter, a man of honor and integrity," his sister wrote on a GoFundMe campaign. "Please help my sister in law provide for her sons in this deeply devastating time. We all know this money will not be able to bring him back, but this money will be able to help Christina as she is now a widow that needs to provide for her sons."

Christina said that her views have changed after her devastating experience with the virus and she has now been vaccinated. She told Fox 5 Vegas that she hopes other people honor her husband's legacy by getting vaccinated and wearing masks.

"I understand some of you believe that this political-- and it might be, it could be political, I don't know that it's not," Christina said. "I do know that because of that decision of my husband believing it was political, that was why he did not want to wear a mask, he did not want to get vaccinated. He didn't trust them. It cost him his life."