His heart had ‘nearly doubled in size’
An man who ran a Telegram channel dedicated to promoting the use of ivermectin has died from a common side effect of the medication.
Danny Lemoi had taken a daily dose of veterinary ivermectin, a veterinary deworming agent designed to be used on animals, for the last decade. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the drug became popular amongst anti-vaxxers who believed it was an alternative treatment for the illness.
Lemoi launched one of the largest Telegram channels devoted to promoting the use of the drug, which included him telling his followers how to administer the drug to children.
On March 3, Lemoi “passed away unexpectedly”, according to an online obituary post by his family last week. He was survived by his parents and brother. The obituary gave no details about the cause of his death.
Vice reports that administrators broke the news of the Rhode Island resident’s death in the channel with a message reading: “Though it was obvious that Danny had the biggest heart, it was unbeknownst to him that his heart was quite literally overworking and overgrowing beyond its capacity, nearly doubled in size from what it should have been.
“We understand that this is going to raise questions for those who were following him.”
The admins added that Lemoi had undergone testing on his heart last year, but the results had shown no cause for concern.
Lemoi had started taking the drug in 2012 when he was diagnosed with Lyme disease. He claimed that five months after first taking ivermectin, he quit all other treatments prescribed to him as he believed the drug had “regenerated” his heart muscle.
Then, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the drug became popular among anti-vaxxers who believed it helped treat the virus.
This included Joe Rogan and Laurence Fox, who both boasted about taking Ivermectin.
The admins continued in the post: “Danny was fully convinced that his heart had regenerated after his incident with Lyme disease that almost ended in congestive heart failure.”
They went on to claims that “a family history of heart disease and chronic stress” were why his heart had ultimately failed, and that his other organs “were unremarkable.”
The post continued: “Due to Danny’s distrust in doctors and a history of medical trauma, we cannot hold him accountable for not following up on his health although we are absolutely devastated that this had been going on.
“Until his last day, he was still pressing on 7 days a week in high spirits, and great physical shape- lending few clues to an issue that presented too late.”
Whilst ivermectin is approved for human consumption in very specific doses to treat some parasitic worms, there is no evidence to suggest it is an effective treatment for Covid-19. Ingesting significant doses of the drug can cause many side effects, including seizures, coma, lung issues, and heart problems.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made it clear that ivermectin should not be used to treat Covid-19. It is designed to be given to large animals such as cows and horses, so the drug is often in highly concentrated doses that can be toxic to humans.
The US Centers for Disease Control, European Medicines Agency, and the World Health Organization have all also denounced the use of the drug against Covid-19.
Since the news of Lemoi’s death has been announced in the group, other members have seemingly been experiencing numerous known side effects of taking the drug.
“I’m 4 months now and all hell’s breaking loose, all pain has hit my waist down with sciatic, shin splints, restless leg syndrome, tight sore calves & it feels like some pain in the bones,” a member wrote on Friday.
Another said their wife had been taking the drug for three months and was being treated for “autoimmune hepatitis, thyroid, and vertebrae issues.” They said she was now experiencing “migraines, “vomiting and severe stomach,” and asked whether these were “herxing” symptoms.
Herxing is a term for when someone experiences an adverse response to antibiotics taken as a treatment for Lyme disease.
Members of the group are apparently taking the drug as a treatment for all sorts of diseases and illnesses, not just Covid-19, in the belief that every disease is caused by a parasite that can be removed from the body by ivermectin.
Lemoi also taught his followers a regime he had created to administer the drug to children.
Whilst some members of the group are clearly having doubts about ivermectin, others are criticising them for spreading what they believe to be misinformation, adamant that ivermectin was not Lemoi’s cause of death.
“No one can convince me that he died because of ivermectin,” one member wrote this week. “He ultimately died because of our failed western medicine which only cares about profits and not the cure.”
Those who run the group say it will live on and continue to promote the use of ivermectin as a treatment for a range of illnesses.
Related links:
Health experts forced to advise people ‘not to put fish cleaner in mouth, ear, or anus’
Anti-vax podcaster who caught Covid at conspiracy conference dies
Man says he would rather ‘die free’ than get covid jab for organ transplant
