Name of Victim: Lee Andy Smith
Age of Victim: 64
Sex of Victim: Male
What Is This Testimony About: Hospital Protocol Death
State: PA
Name of Hospital(s) victim was admitted to (List All that apply): MS Hershey Medical Center
Did the victim survive? No
Date of Death: Jan 6th 2022
Contact Name: Debbie Smith
Relationship to Victim: Wife
Was the victim a military Veteran? No
Was the victim considered special needs, or did they have any kind of disability? Yes
Was the victim admitted to the hospital? Yes
County Hospital is located in: Dauphin
Date Admitted: 12/09/2021
Was the victim isolated at any time during hospitalization? Yes
Does the victim or family feel they were treated differently by hospital staff as a result of disclosing their vaccination status? Yes
Was the victim or family pressured to sign a Do Not Resuscitate? No
Was victim placed on a ventilator? Yes
What medications were administered to the victim by doctors or hospital staff?
Antibiotics, Antifungals, Anxiety Medications, Baricitinib, Blood Pressure Medications, Fentanyl, Heparin, Morphine, Oxygen, Paralytics, Propofol, Remdesivir
What medications did the hospital explicitly refuse to administer to the victim?
Antibiotics, Blood Pressure Medications, Heparin
Has this incident been reported to any agency such as VAERS, HHS, JACHO, Medical Board or others? No
Place of Death: Hospital
Would you be interested in participating in podcasts or other media? Yes
From Loving Husband to Protocol Patient: The Death of Andy Smith
Andy Smith was the kind of man who refused to let hardship define him.
Born with cerebral palsy, Andy never accepted limitations as the measure of his life. He built and operated his own landscaping business, worked hard to provide for his family, and raised trees and shrubbery with pride. He was a husband of more than thirty-four years, a father of three, and a man deeply devoted to his faith. Debbie describes him as someone who loved sharing Jesus with others and who treated people with kindness wherever he went.
One of Andy’s greatest dreams was to adopt an Asian daughter. Years after raising their two biological children, Andy and Debbie adopted their daughter Sarah from Cambodia. Debbie recalls the deep love Andy had for all of his children and the joy he found in building a close-knit family.
By late 2021, Andy and Debbie were enjoying life with their children and grandchildren. Just weeks before everything changed, the entire family took a vacation together to the Dominican Republic. It would become the last family trip they would ever share.
When Andy began feeling sick in December 2021, the family initially believed he would recover at home. Debbie used ivermectin and supportive care herself and hoped Andy would improve as well. But his condition worsened, and on December 9, 2021, he was admitted to Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania.
According to Debbie, the moment they disclosed Andy’s vaccination status, the atmosphere changed.
A resident reportedly walked into the room and told Andy, “You were unvaccinated, so there’s nothing we can do for you.” Debbie says she was stunned by the statement and immediately felt that her husband had been judged before treatment had even truly begun.
What followed mirrored the experiences described by countless other families across the country.
Isolation quickly became part of Andy’s reality. Debbie says hospital staff separated them emotionally and physically almost immediately. Family access became restricted. Communication was controlled through scheduled phone calls and FaceTime sessions arranged through nurses. Debbie and her children often felt cut off from the man they loved while decisions about his care escalated rapidly.
The pressure to place Andy on a ventilator began early.
Debbie recalls staff telling Andy, “You want to breathe, don’t you?” while pushing intubation and aggressive interventions. Oxygen support was escalated quickly, eventually leading to mechanical ventilation.
During his hospitalization, Andy was given many of the same drugs families across the country have repeatedly identified in similar testimonies, including remdesivir, fentanyl, morphine, paralytics, and propofol. Debbie says the hospital informed them Andy would be part of a remdesivir study, but afterward the family heard little else about it.
As Andy’s condition deteriorated, Debbie watched him suffer under conditions she believes no patient should ever endure.
She remembers him desperately thirsty while on BiPAP, banging his urinal against the bed rail trying to get someone’s attention. She remembers the helplessness of watching from a distance while hospital staff controlled nearly every aspect of communication and care.
The family repeatedly felt that basic compassion was missing.
Debbie describes a growing sense that Andy was no longer being treated as a husband, father, and human being, but instead as another protocol patient being pushed through a system that prioritized compliance over individualized care. The family felt ignored when they raised concerns. Like so many others, they sensed that “something was terribly wrong,” but were largely powerless to stop what was happening behind hospital walls.
After weeks inside the hospital, Andy Smith died on January 6, 2022.
He was 64 years old.
His death devastated Debbie and their children, leaving behind not only grief but lingering questions about the treatment he received and whether his life could have been saved under different circumstances.
Yet when Debbie reflects on Andy’s life, one memory rises above the pain.
She remembers that final family vacation to the Dominican Republic just weeks before his hospitalization. Their children and spouses were together. There was laughter, peace, and precious time as a family. None of them knew it would be their last trip with Andy.
Today, Debbie is courageously sharing Andy’s story through Betrayal Project USA so that his life will not be forgotten and so other families may recognize the warning signs of institutional betrayal before it is too late.
Betrayal Project USA is giving victims and survivors a platform to tell their stories, pursue accountability and reform, and build a community of support for those harmed by COVID-related protocols, shots, policies, and other forms of institutional betrayal. Our organization, board members, and volunteers are largely made up of widows, widowers, survivors, and families who experienced similar harm firsthand. We believe these egregious crimes against humanity must be exposed and stopped.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by COVID-related protocols, shots, or policies, please document your story at betrayalprojectusa.org.
