Former energy minister's widow: Covid19 vaccine did not kill Frankie

FORMER energy minister the late Franklin Khan did not die from the covid19 vaccine, but from an undiscovered defect in his heart, his widow Laura Sewlal-Khan told Newsday on Friday,

Communications Minister Symon de Nobriga had already said earlier that Khan had died of a heart attack.

An autopsy found a calcified cyst in his heart had curbed the blood flow to it, so that his death was just a matter of time, Khan's widow said.

Sewlal-Khan told Newsday how much she and her family appreciated the outpouring of love from those who had known Khan, 63, who died last Saturday.

"We really, really, really appreciate all the sentiments.

"Franklin really worked hard for this country. He wanted to see Trinidad and Tobago boom. He had put so much in place, hoping to see a turnaround in 2023, 2024, so everyone would be happy.

"I can't tell you how sad he was to see companies close and send home their workers. He was really disturbed. He would beg them not to send their workers home."

Sewlal-Khan said people did not know how hard government ministers work for their country, amid a lot of stress in their environment.

Newsday asked if the covid19 vaccine had caused Khan's death. He was among government ministers getting the AstraZeneca shot on April 13, four days before his death.

Sewlal-Khan said, "I was really praying that it was not a contributor to Frankie's death, as the only way the world could go on is with a vaccine."

She said an autopsy was done on his body last Saturday, the day he died.

"I had two doctors with me, relatives who are doctors. The autopsy doctor said, 'Ask me anything and I'll be honest with you.'

"My two doctors told me, 'Aunty Laura, it was just a matter of time for Uncle Frankie.'

"Frankie's heart was extremely weak. He had a bypass (surgery)."

Sewlal-Khan said Khan was taking blood thinners for his heart problems, but these medications may have inadvertently aggravated a separate and unseen problem, a bleeding cyst.

"He had a calcified cyst that nobody knew about. He did not know. He was never in pain. It was bleeding. He did not know it was bleeding.

"You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. He was taking blood thinners because of the heart. Blood was not reaching the heart.

"It was just a matter of time."

Sewlal-Khan likened the cyst in her husband's heart to a ticking time bomb.

"His doctors were superb, but would not have been able to know of the cyst unless he had complained and then you did a scan.

"But Frankie did not complain. He had no bruising, it was all internal."

She recalled Khan had spent the Friday evening before he died chatting with many of his Cabinet colleagues.

"He died very peacefully. He went into a deep sleep and never woke up. He had just gone out like a little light.

"Now we should all pray for his soul to rest in peace."

As for Khan's funeral, she said it would have to await their daughter's return to TT.

"My daughter is on her way home. She has to see her father. She was extremely close to him. In this covid environment, families are distressed. So many of them don't have closure. It will be in May, as she has to quarantine for 14 days."