Following Saturday's deadly shooting rampage in Buffalo, N.Y., a 180-page purported manifesto attributed to the suspect has surfaced, which outlines the shooter's motives, details how he had been radicalized and how he "planned to kill as many Blacks as possible," according to officials. The manifesto's author also wrote about something called the "Great Replacement."Sister station KCRA 3 's Brittany Johnson 'Gets the Facts' on what this theory is all about.What is the theory about?The theory has different iterations but in a nutshell, the "great replacement" theory, which is sometimes called "replacement theory," is the belief that your group is being replaced or extinct because another group is growing in number and you see this other group as a threat to your group's existence.The theory goes back centuriesAccording to the Anti-Defamation League, the theory goes back centuries but was popularized by French Author Renaud Camus when he published an essay titled, "Le Grand Remplacement" or "The Great Replacement" in 2011. The term was coined when Camus warned of "reverse colonization" and explained native White Europeans are being replaced by non-White immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. He believes this trend will lead to the "ethnic and civilizational substitution" of the White race in Europe and the West.Great Replacement Theory linked to Buffalo shooting The shooting in Buffalo, NY has been connected to this theory because it was repeatedly referenced in a 180-page document linked to the reported shooter. The author used racist, anti-immigrant and anti-semitic beliefs, and wrote about how he planned to "kill as many blacks as possible," according to NBC News.Great Replacement theory linked to previous mass shootings and terrorist attacks, here are a few:In 2019, a suspect investigators said subscribed to the great replacement theory killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. That same year the man suspected of targeting Latinos in an El Paso Walmart and who is on trial for killing 23 people, who authorities attribute a four-page racist screed that decried a Hispanic "invasion" of Texas and the U.S., and called for ethnic and racial segregation, also subscribed to the great replacement theory. The suspect in the 2018 shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue "made statements regarding genocide and his desire to kill Jewish people" during the attack, according to prosecutors. Eleven people were killed in the shooting in what the ADL has said is the "deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the U.S."Sister station KCRA 3 spoke with Assistant Professor Milan Obaidi of the University of Oslo in Norway, where he said the great replacement theory has also been used to carry out the 2011 Norway attacks. Obaidi researches violent extremism and radicalization. Sister station KCRA 3 spoke with Obaidi about a recent publication he authored with three other professors titled "The Great Replacement Conspiracy: How the Perceived Ousting of Whites Can Evoke Violent Extremism and Islamophobia."Q: What did you study in relation to this publication?Obaidi: In these studies, we looked at intentions to commit acts of violence toward another group. We didn't look at an actual act of violence, you know that is it clearly and practically impossible. In psychology we usually rely on attitudes, measuring people's attitudes and intentions. So yes, in these studies, we persistently found a link between the idea that your group is being replaced, and people's willingness to support or express extreme attitudes toward other groups. ... The implication of this theory is that it may legitimize violence, because it specifically portrays one group as being a victim of, of being under existential threat, and then it justifies violence as a necessary means to actually avert such threats. It {the theory} justifies the use of violence, because one group is being seen as a victim of being extinct by another or being replaced, and then violence becomes a means to actually prevent this. So, people who believe in this theory, do believe that they will be extinct and then they use violence to justify this or to avert this from happening.Obaidi: These studies were conducted in the Scandinavian context in Norway in Denmark. So, we basically looked at these in these studies, whether the perception that your group is being replaced by another group. With most of it, people also express negative attitudes, but also extreme intentions toward the group that they perceived as replacing their group. We used experiments, but also we run three surveys in these experiments. People are shown video clips of Norwegian TV where they were shown that in Norway in 20 years there will be a large number of this particular group of people and they will actually exceed the number of living Norwegians in certain areas in 20 years and then we were looking at how people would respond to this idea that their group will be shrinking and another group will be increasing in size. We found that the people who were in these replacement, treatment, or conditions also expressed more Islamophobic attitudes toward Muslim minorities in the regional context.Q: Is there always a direct link between believing in this theory and then carrying out an act of violence?Obaidi: It's also important to emphasize I think, that yes, maybe a lot of people believe in this theory, but not everyone would actually do something like, go and shoot other people. So there's not a not always direct link, because then we would probably have a lot of people going around shooting people. I think there are a large number of people who do believe and I mean, we know that the public, mainstream politicians, and media personalities, have touted these kinds of ideas. But it is so important to say that not every person who believes in it would do something such as going and shooting other people. Q: What is the discussion we should be having about this?Obaidi: A discussion would probably whether we see more of these kinds of attacks. Based on previous attacks, we know that there have been a lot of some of these attacks, they've been just copycatting other attackers, and they've been quite heavily inspired by previous attacks. And some of the tactics are quite similar. For example, the Christchurch attack, he was live-streaming his attack. And the same thing happened with the Norwegian attempt terror attack a couple of years ago in Norway, and we saw it Saturday in Buffalo. So there's clearly this group of young, certainly young people who are inspired by each other. My worry is probably, or maybe, a lot of people, whether we will see something similar because it is inspiring other people because this is what happened in recent years. I think that is probably something that most people are worried about these days.

Some 90,0000 people in the United States are awaiting a kidney donation. One California mother took it into her own hands to try and get a donor, and you've probably already seen her plea for help.

Along northbound Interstate 5 by the Sacramento International Airport stands a billboard.

"I need a kidney transplant," said Cynthia Hall.

Hall hopes that with her billboard she will reach the right person.

"Six years ago, I got a call from my doctor that my kidneys are severely damaged," Hall said.

Her husband Art said they knew they would reach the point where they needed to expand their outreach one day.

"We have been doing a homegrown campaign, if you will," Art said. "Making flyers, putting them up at businesses. We have done social media campaigns. I thought I need to take this to the next level to see what's possible to do and that's where I thought I would try a billboard."

That's when Marquee Media received a call from a friend who heard about the Hall family.

"When we formed our company, we wanted to have business with purpose. This is the highest purpose we can probably do," said Jeff Joaquin with Marquee Media.

There are 11 billboards across the Sacramento, California, region, reaching about 2 million people every week. There are also dozens of billboards across the country.

"We help companies and brands sell products, help their businesses along, but we can have a higher calling to help somebody get a kidney and save a life, it's just something immeasurable," Joaquin said.

The Hall family hopes it raises more awareness about kidney diseases.

"There are millions of people out there with this disease and they do not know they have it," Cynthia said.

"If anything comes of all this, besides her getting a kidney donor, is raising the awareness of kidney disease out there," Art said.

The hope is that on their four-year wedding anniversary, they will get the call that will give Cynthia a second chance at life.

"It means the world to us and my son, he's 14. I want to see him go to college, I want to see him get married, I want to be with him and this will give me a chance to live my life to the fullest," Cynthia said.

If you would like to help you can reach the Hall family at akidneyforcynthia@gmail.com or at 916-276-7603.

Watch the video above for the full story.

A California dog that vanished more than a year ago and ended up more than 1,600 miles away in Kansas is back home.

Zeppelin, the dog, was recently found after having disappeared 14 months ago.

After Heather Reichart found him barking in her pasture, she took him to a vet in Louisburg, where a microchip scan revealed he belonged to an owner in Sacramento, KCTV first reported.

The dog’s owner, Sandra O’Neil, had never given up hope since the pooch went missing.

"I always thought if he got away and someone checked his chip maybe he would come back to us," she told sister station KCRA on Wednesday. "I hadn’t given up completely."

She had driven to the spot where she last saw him and said a prayer. The next day she got the call that he had been found.

"I was just floored by how far he made it," she said.

O’Neil first got a virtual reunion with Zeppelin via FaceTime and now will have him back at home just in time for the holidays.

"This is an amazing gift. Our whole family is blessed to have him coming home," said O'Neill.

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Zeppelin's long road trip home happened thanks to the efforts of another stranger. Mary Hastings, who is from Newberry Springs in Southern California.

"I didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t ask anybody. I just did it," Hastings said.

Hastings was visiting her sister in Ohio when her daughter in Kansas told her about Zeppelin who needed a ride home. She volunteered to drive the dog back to its owner. They arrived in Sacramento on Wednesday and met near the Sacramento Wier.

Hastings wanted to give the special gift during the Christmas season.

"Room at the inn. Be the one that can make a difference," she said. "Be the one that can change something and that’s what I was feeling."

The reunion took place in the same area where O'Neill first found Zeppelin in January 2020. She believes someone dumped him there.

O'Neill calls Hastings a "Christmas Angel" and said she is excited to have Zeppelin home for the holidays.

"I don't know what he’s been through so he’s going to get lots of love," she said.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Friends of Tyre Nichols plan to hold a candlelight vigil in his honor on Monday at a Sacramento-area skate park.

Regency Community Skatepark in North Natomas is a place where his childhood friends say they shared a lot of memories while growing up in Sacramento.

"He was just such a genuine person and just such a good friend and to see that happen is, it's just very sad," said Nick Dragonetti, a friend who said he met Nichols at the skatepark when they were in middle school.

Jerome Neal also met Nichols at the skatepark, about 13 years ago.

"He was super sweet, super kind, very humble," Neal said.

The friends did not talk as frequently after Nichols moved to Memphis, Tennessee, but Neal reached out when he visited Memphis last October.

"He linked up with me at the skatepark, and he and I just skated for half the day. We hung out like it was old times. Didn't miss a beat," Neal said.

It was a little bit of time together that means a lot to him, especially now.

"That day was amazing, and now it keeps getting better due to the situation because I'll never have another one with him," Neal said.

The 29-year-old FedEx worker and father died on Jan. 10 after he was beaten by police officers during a traffic stop.

"It was so unbelievable. Our Tyre, the guy we loved. The guy that brought us so much good energy is just gone, just like that," Neal said.

The story has captured the nation's attention.

"A lot of skateboarders across the country feel for Tyre," Dragonetti said.

On social media, professional skateboarder Tony Hawk shared a video of Nichols skating.

Nichols often went to Regency Community Skatepark, where his friends plan to gather Monday night to remember him.

Neal said he will be there even though he was originally supposed to spend the week in Phoenix.

"I'm just canceling half my trip here and going to Sacramento. Something in my heart is telling me I need to be there. Simple as that," he said.

Many people have had COVID-19, have it right now or will get it, health experts say. So, new questions around the virus and when vaccines are appropriate after becoming sick are now at the forefront.

Dr. Vanessa Walker, a pulmonary and critical care physician with the Pulmonary Medicine Associates in Sacramento, California, spoke to sister station KCRA 3 to answer those questions.

Q: If you catch the virus after you have had your original vaccines, but before a booster, do you have to wait to get the booster?

Dr. Walker: "If you’re feeling better, your symptoms have resolved, and you’re outside your isolation window, go get that booster."

Q: How long do people have to wait between their last original dose of the vaccine and the booster?

Dr. Walker: "Five months for people who received both doses of either Pfizer or Moderna, and two months for those who received Johnson and Johnson."

Q: If you catch COVID-19 after having your original vaccine(s) do you need a booster?

Dr. Walker: "You may not be as protected after getting sick as you think you are and could get it again."

Q: Do you think COVID-19 is something that will ever ‘go away’?

Dr. Walker: "I will be shocked if this is stopped, I don’t see this as going away."

Dr. Walker went on to explain she sees the coronavirus as something that will be with the population indefinitely but not on a pandemic level, and will be more like the flu with ebbs and flows over time.

Oregon Health and Science University found recent data proving those with the strongest immunity against COVID-19 are people who have 'hybrid immunity,' according to Dr. Walker.

Hybrid immunity is when a person is vaccinated and becomes ill with the virus, or when a person becomes ill with the virus and then becomes vaccinated. Those with hybrid immunity have shown great promise according to Dr. Walker; noting it does not matter in which order a person becomes 'hybrid immune.'

She does say, super-spreader events are still possible, vaccinated or not.

"The question is are we trying to stop all COVID, or are we just trying to stop COVID that’s killing people and I feel like that’s ultimately going to be what we need to do," Dr. Walker asked.

She followed that question by concluding, "we’re not going to be able to stop people from getting sick, we just need to make sure if they get sick it’s a cold and it’s not that big of a deal and they’re not filling up hospitals and dying."

FAIR OAKS, Calif. —

An elderly man said he was stuck inside his home during a garage fire Monday afternoon, as the flames inched closer and closer to him. Luckily, help was a stone's throw away.

Harold Kaler, 92, told sister station KCRA he was sitting in his electric reclining chair in a room right next to the garage in his home when a fire caused the power to go out, so Harold had no electricity to prop the chair back up.

"I would have just sat there. I couldn't get out of the chair,” Harold said.

But even if he could, Kaler’s mobility issues presented another problem. He usually uses a ramp in his garage to leave the house, which is owned by his son Bill Kaler. But it was soon engulfed in flames.

Harold noted that smoke was coming through the cracks on the door. Luckily, a familiar face stepped in to help. Harold’s next door neighbor Erik Bean said when another neighbor alerted him about the fire, he grabbed the fire extinguisher and ran right over.

Home surveillance video shows Bean making his way toward the house. He walked up the front steps and went through the front door.

“Luckily the door wasn’t locked,” Bean said. “Smoke was billowing into the garage and the door itself to the garage was glowing red.”

That is when Bean saw Harold lying down in his chair.

"I just came over, and helped him get out of his recliner, grabbed his walker and then we proceeded out of the house,” Bean said.

This all happened before Sacramento Metro Fire arrived to the scene. Bean is now being lauded for his quick action.

"I think that's very kind, but very overstated,” Bean said in response. “It was just the right thing to do. Now that I have a little time to reflect on it, I did put myself in personal harm or harm's way, but I would do it again."

Bill Kaler, Harold’s son and the homeowner, said he was not home at the time and is relieved Bean acted so quickly. He also said first responders were on scene a few minutes afterward.

“Erik is a really good friend and he keeps an eye on the place all the time,” Bill said. “The response of the fire department was just incredible.”

Harold said he is grateful to Erik for what he did.

"He got me up and got me out of the place, and I was really thankful for that,” Harold said.

Sacramento Metro Fire said they still have not determined the cause of the fire. Harold and Bill told KCRA that it will take about six to eight months to get everything cleaned and remodeled.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

A clinic in Sacramento, California, said it's seeing an uptick in people getting their COVID-19 vaccine as we approach the holidays.

James Broderick is one of those people who stopped by Urgent Care Now. He was getting his booster shot.

"We're just looking forward to the holidays," Broderick said. "The last couple years have just been real rough on everybody and particularly those of us who have big families."

Federal health officials announced Monday that omicron is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week. And experts expect a surge of new cases following family gatherings during the holidays.

"We'll probably see almost twice as many cases towards the end of January as we're seeing today," said Dr. Dean Blumberg, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Health. "So, we're already going to get that increase, and omicron will just make that worse.

Blumberg also explained that with a more contagious variant, there will likely be more breakthrough infections.

"The early reports suggest we're seeing more breakthrough infections with omicron, that it's somewhere between two and five times more transmissible than delta, and that's why we are seeing more cases," Dr. Blumberg said.

However, he said, the purpose of the vaccine is not to prevent infection entirely but rather to prevent severe infection. Dr. Blumberg said early data shows people with their booster shots had about 70% protection against hospitalization with the omicron variant.

"Vaccination is still the No. 1 way to protect against infection, including omicron, and masking is a close second," Dr. Blumberg said.

Watch the video above for the full story.

As the global supply chain crisis continues, retailers are working to meet consumer demand for the upcoming holiday season.

It hasn't been easy.

"We're trying to stay as upbeat as we can," said Brian Lawrence, president of Emigh's Hardware Store in Sacramento, California. "We're waiting on Christmas trees right now. Hoping they'll get here in the next few weeks."

The trees, and other holiday goods, have been stuck on cargo ships docked at Los Angeles and Long Beach for months.

"Normally [our inventory] is here in October," Lawrence said. "Now it's probably mid-November to the later part of November."

Shelves normally bursting with Christmas lights this time of year are now three-quarters or half full. The store is also seeing shortages in any product with metal or plastic parts.

"We normally have a lot more hacksaw blades, and right now we just have a few," Lawrence said. "We are trying to pivot and get products from different suppliers."

Shipping delays are also causing issues with seasonal inventory. Lawrence says he only just received the shipment of patio furniture meant for the summer. Now, he'll have to figure out how to sell them in the fall and winter months.

"We are doing our best to keep prices competitive," Lawrence said. "We used to pay $3,500 to $4,000 to get a container from overseas. Now it's upward of $20,000 for a container to get here."

The crush of shipping delays and labor and inventory shortages is also being felt at Mixed Bag, another small business in California.

"It's been uncomfortable, to say the least," said owner Linda Novi.

Her store only just got their Halloween inventory on Thursday, two weeks before the holiday.

"We're ordering more than we normally would because we know if we order 100 pieces we'll be lucky to get 50," Novi said.

Her store is doing what it can to shield customers from prices that will inevitably have to increase, due to elevated shipping costs.

"It used to be $3,000 to $4,000 per container from overseas," Novi said. "It's now $15,000 to $16,000 per container. Our shipping prices have increased unbelievably."

Mixed Bag is still waiting for items to come in from orders placed 10 months ago.

"There are a lot of vendors we ordered from in January and we still haven't [gotten those items]," said store manager Wendy Gray.

Barbarita Acosta, or affectionately nicknamed Barbie, is celebrating her first birthday this weekend. The infant already overcame extraordinary medical odds.

Barbie was born with neonatal lupus, a rare condition that attacked her heart. At just five days old she received a pacemaker. But after a few weeks, doctors said she needed to find a heart donor.

“They told us that very same day that by the end of the night she would be life-lifted out of there,” mother Angel Moreno said. “So, we came home and packed up as soon as we can. And we just got in the car and followed the helicopter. Tried to beat it there.”

Barbie spent more than 200 days at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

“Barbie was born with a condition called neonatal lupus, which is a condition in which the mother has antibodies that can attack the baby while she is still in the mother’s womb,” Dr. Seth Hollander said. “Her condition is quite rare. Only about 1% of women will have these antibodies. And only about 2% of women with these antibodies have this kind of effect on the baby.”

Dr. Hollander is the medical director of Pediatric Heart Transplantation.

“About 500 heart transplants are performed in the country each year in children. However, among children under the age of one year are the hardest to find matches for,” he explained. “And infants waiting for heart transplants are the most likely group to pass away while waiting for a donor organ.”

Dr. Hollander said roughly 25% of infants waiting for a heart transplant will die while waiting.

"We are very grateful for whoever that anonymous donor family is for providing such a wonderful gift and a second chance for this little girl,” he said.

Barbie’s heart surgery happened in September when she was a little over six months old.

“It literally brought me to my knees. I was crying,” Moreno said. “We only had so long — I believe it was four hours — to make a decision if we wanted the heart or not. So, it was a really hard decision because there were so many good and bads to both sides of saying yes or no to accepting the heart.”

And COVID-19 protections complicated an already dire road.

“Oh man it was really scary because nobody could really be there to support us,” Moreno explained. “There was actually a long period of time where dad was not allowed to come into the hospital because they were only letting one parent in.”

Barbie’s surgery was a success. And she went home to Sacramento, California, just before Thanksgiving.

Dr. Hollander added Barbie's future is very bright. She has no transplant rejection and is catching up on her developmental milestones.

He expects the heart to last for several decades, allowing Barbie to grow up pretty much like a normal kid.

“When I look at her it’s really hard to believe she’s had a heart transplant because she acts so much like a baby,” Moreno said.

“It’s amazing to know that when we first found out, we weren’t sure if we were going to have a baby, to now, we’re celebrating her first birthday coming up. So, that’s really great.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Medical Board of California says it will investigate a plastic surgeon who appeared in a videoconference for his traffic violation trial while operating.

The Sacramento Bee reports Dr. Scott Green appeared Thursday for his Sacramento Superior Court trial, held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, from an operating room.

He was dressed in surgical scrubs with a patient undergoing the procedure just out of view; the beeps of medical machinery can be heard in the background.

"Hello, Mr. Green? Hi. Are you available for trial?" a courtroom clerk asked, according to video obtained by the Sacramento Bee. "It kind of looks like you're in an operating room right now?"

"I am, sir," Green replied. "Yes, I'm in an operating room right now. Yes, I'm available for trial. Go right ahead."

Court Commissioner Gary Link refused to conduct the trial, saying he was concerned for the patient's welfare and rescheduled it for another time.

On Saturday, the Medical Board of California said it "is aware of the incident and will be looking into it, as it does with all complaints it receives," according to NBC News.

Last week's incident is just the latest odd court proceeding recorded on Zoom amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, a Texas court proceeding was thrown off-kilter when a lawyer was unable to remove a Zoom filter that made him look like a cat.

IONE, Calif. — Officials say a California serial killer who strangled and raped at least seven women was fatally choked himself in a state prison.

Roger Reece Kibbe, known as the “I-5 Strangler” in the 1970s and 1980s, was spotted unresponsive in his cell Sunday at Mule Creek State Prison southeast of Sacramento.

His 40-year-old cellmate was standing nearby, according to prison officials. The cellmate, Jason Budrow, was in prison after being convicted of strangling his girlfriend in 2011.

An autopsy showed the 81-year-old Kibbe had been manually strangled.

The Amador County Sheriff’s Office is calling the death a homicide.

Investigators secretly took Kibbe on multiple field trips from prison in hope that he would reveal the whereabouts of more victims.

Kibbe was dubbed the "I-5 Strangler" because some of his victims were taken from their cars or their bodies were dumped along highways in Northern California. He was known for leaving random cuts on his victims' clothing using scissors.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Sacramento plastic surgeon Dr. Scott Green made international headlines recently after a viral video showed the doctor participating in a virtual traffic court while in the operating room.

Dr. Green is a partner at the Sacramento Plastic Surgery Center where he, and another surgeon, were in the middle of a facelift when his name was called at the Sacramento Superior Court’s virtual hearing.

Green was on the schedule to contest a speeding ticket received in October along Highway 50.

Sacramento Superior Court Commissioner Gary Link noted the unusual setting saying, “I do not feel comfortable for the welfare of the patient if you are in the process of operating that I would put on a trial.”

Green responded that he was ready to proceed, but Link decided to set a new date.

Since then there has been a public backlash against the veteran surgeon, with social media users, websites and news outlets reposting and publishing the video.

"I wish the people that had reported on it, had spent more time looking into it first and understanding it before they cast judgment," Green told KCRA 3 in his first interview since the incident went viral.

Green said he was told his case could come up any time between 3 and 5 p.m. He had hoped to finish operating before then.

"This was our last case, we were half-way through it, through all of the critical parts. The critical parts of that kind of case, which is a facelift, those parts actually go very quick in the beginning," Green said.

Green was not the only surgeon in the room. He trains surgery fellows throughout the year, passing along the knowledge he's gained from more than two decades of operating.

"Part of a fellowship training is allowing a surgeon to do those things that you deem they can do as well as you at that point," Green said. He said he had already put his fellow to work wrapping up the case when he decided to take the call.

"I was trying to give deference to the court and go through the formalities as quickly as possible so we could fix things as quickly as we could," Green said.

Attorney and physician Dr. Jeffrey Segal said the uproar in the media amounts to a misunderstanding of what really happens in the operating room every day.

"In point of fact, surgeons have these types of encounters every day where they take a break, leave to go to the bathroom, they leave to eat a protein bar, check a biopsy. They only do it if it’s safe," Segal said.

Plastic surgeon Dr. Troy Adreasen, who trained with Green, agreed, "as long as patient confidentiality wasn’t breached, as long as there wasn’t a patient safety issue."

"I don’t think we have much to talk about because this happens every day, in every operating room, in every single city in this country," he said.

General and oncological surgeon Yona Barash said he takes a variety of calls during surgery, even leaving the room to consult with fellow doctors or to take a break.

"He wasn’t doing that while operating, he was away from the table at that point watching the fellow finish the case. He could have easily walked out of the room," Barash said.

A spokesperson for the California Medical Board said they were aware of what happened and were reviewing the incident but could not comment on whether a formal investigation had been launched and if any codes of conduct had been violated.

While it certainly did not look good from a public perspective, Segal said he was confident there was no wrongdoing.

"We’ve already sent a preemptive statement explaining why there is no patient safety issue, there is no confidentiality problem. I fully expect the board will not have a problem with this," Segal said.

In hindsight, Green said he could’ve handled the situation differently, stepping out of the room to take the call while his fellow finished the procedure.

The doctor, who settled his speeding ticket by paying the fine earlier this week, says he has several takeaways from the social media outcry.

"We are defined by those judgments we make and those decisions we make either to love and to care or not," he said. "To me, this has been a great outpouring of judgment followed by a great outpouring of love. At the end of the day, the love is what I am grateful for."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Vaccine hesitancy, according to public health experts, remains one of the biggest challenges in stopping the continued spread of COVID-19.

That's why a California woman is sharing her story of the devastating loss of her husband.

She said the two "weren't sure" about getting the COVID-19 vaccine until it was too late.

Mia and Brad Vinnard were together for 12 years, married for nine.

"We met in Old Sacramento. He was doing some karaoke there and had an amazing voice," Mia said. "We kinda both knew that we belonged together."

Their plans of spending forever together, however, got cut short.

Mia, describing their Sacramento home as lonely, empty and sad, is left now with only memories of the life the two shared.

"I keep expecting him to walk through the door," she said. "But that's not ever gonna happen again. And that's a hard pill to swallow."

Brad tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of June. He died after spending two weeks battling the virus in an intensive care unit.

"It all happened so fast," Mia explained. "I wish we would have gotten vaccinated. I mean one simple shot could've prevented all of this."

After starting to get sick on June 28, Brad struggled at home for a couple days. He tested his oxygen levels with a home oxygen meter. That's when he realized his condition was worsening.

"He was on the phone with the nurse and she said, 'Are you reading that correctly?' and he said, 'Yeah,'" Mia recounted. "She [the nurse] said, 'You need to get to the emergency room immediately!'"

Mia, who also tested positive for COVID-19 a few days after Brad, did not have to spend time in the hospital. She did, however, experience severe headaches, fever, vomiting, and loss of smell and taste.

She described her bout with the virus as "never having been that sick before."

"It's nothing like the flu," Mia said. "When people say that ... it was nothing like the flu."

She said the only time she could get out of bed was to take her husband to the hospital.

When she did get past the worst of her illness, she was only able to see Brad during his hospital stay through a window that looked into the ICU.

"I was there morning, noon and night. Sitting on the window sill just looking at him. And remembering. And praying."

Valerie Burdell, Brad's sister, came into town just before he died.

She, as well, is remembering Brad and the special bond the two had as the oldest siblings out of the five children in their family.

"We were very tight. We just had a closeness that ... I'll never have again," Burdell said. "And it could have been prevented. That's probably the part that's the hardest thing for me."

Memories of their childhood together — camping and racing go-karts — are bittersweet.

She said she spent the last year urging her brother to get vaccinated as soon as he could.

"I said, 'Brad, I'm begging you.' And it just got to where I had to stop. As a big sister, because I'm his oldest sister, it's always, 'nag, nag, nag,'" Burdell said. "I feel guilty sometimes for not pushing it harder."

She said she stopped texting him and talking with him about the COVID-19 vaccine because she felt it was driving a wedge between them.

"Not in a million years did I think I would lose my brother to something like this," Burdell said. "So I am begging my friends and my family to take this seriously."

Mia said she and Brad didn't seek out the COVID-19 vaccination. They weren't ready.

"We weren't vaccinated. We wanted to wait and see how people reacted to it," Mia said. "But we waited too long."

On July 11, six days before his death, Brad shared his final message to friends on his Facebook page.

"His last post was, 'Please go get vaccinated .... This is nothing nice,'" Mia explained. "That was his last post."

Now, Mia is determined to do her part, trying to protect others, by sharing his story. She said it's what Brad would have wanted her to do.

"If I can save one life for Brad then, you know, it doesn't have to be in vain," said Mia. "It's not gonna go away until everybody's vaccinated."

Just within the past week, Mia said at least two dozen of the couple's "vaccine-hesitant" friends have sent messages to her saying that after holding out, they have either received or scheduled their first vaccine shots after hearing Brad's story.

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THE FREE CAR WASHES WILL BE OFFERED THROUGH JULY FOURTH. EVERYONE REMEMBERS THE MOMTEN THEY GOT EAG.NG BRANDI: SOME HAVE PHOTOGRAPHERS TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT, OTHERS, IT'S THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT. ANFOD R SOME, THEIR MAGILCA MOMENT ENDS UP ON TWITTER. A PHOTOGRAPHER WAS WALKINGN I SAN FRANCISCO AND SAW THIS COUPLE GETTING ENGAGED. SHE WA'TSN ABLE TO MEET UP WITH THEM BUT WH ITTHE HELP OF SOCIAL MEDIA, THE PHOTOS REACHED THE NEWLY ENGAGED COUP. >> WE ACTUALL WYERE FORTUNATE. WE HAD A PHOTOGRAPHER. I GUESS OTHERS LOOKING AND BYSTANDERS CAPTURE THE MENOMT. IT WAS REALLY NICEND SPECIAL. BRANDI: A MOMENT, FOR THIS SACRAMENTO COUPLE, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO CHERISH FOR A LIFETIME. AND HOW THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT THESE STORIES, WILL BE A MEMORY THEY CAN SHARE FOR YEARS. >> MAYBE TWO DAYS AFTER THE ENGAGEMENT, WE WERE GETTING READY TO GO TO BED AND MY FRIEND GOESEY, TWITTER IS LOOKING FO YOU, TWITTER WE WERE SHOCKED BY THE TIME WE WENT TO IT 90,000 LOOKING FOR US, WEOT LT, THEY FOUNDS, U PHOTOGRAPHETOR SHEDAR A MOMENT. ITAS W REAYLL COOL. BRANDI: THE COUPLE SAYS THEY ARE VERY GRATEFUL AND LOOKS TO TIE THE KNOT IN JA

Photographer captures unknown couple's electrifying proposal, uses social media to track them down

Updated: 3:21 PM EDT Jun 25, 2021

Everyone remembers the time they got engaged, and for a California couple, a spur-of-the-moment proposal caught on camera went viral. In San Francisco, a photographer was walking by when she saw the couple mid-proposal. She was not able to meet up with them right afterward, but with the help of social media, the photos reached the newly engaged couple. See more in the video above.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Everyone remembers the time they got engaged, and for a California couple, a spur-of-the-moment proposal caught on camera went viral.

In San Francisco, a photographer was walking by when she saw the couple mid-proposal. She was not able to meet up with them right afterward, but with the help of social media, the photos reached the newly engaged couple.

See more in the video above.