Almost a year to the day from when I got the campus-wide email about spring 2020 classes moving online, I received another email.
Subject line: Vaccination appointments available.
I immediately picked up my phone to book my appointment. My hands were shaking the whole time. When I got the confirmation email, I cried.
For the first time since that email in March 2020, I felt hopeful.
It’s been a tough year
COVID-19 turned my life turned upside down. I graduated into an economic crisis, decided to attend grad school and I lost precious time with friends and family. I always worried about catching the virus and I felt like I didn’t have a sense of security.
I also watched as over half a million Americans lost their lives. That is a heartbreak and grief I don’t know how to process.
At times, it’s been too much. We are all tired.
Because of the dark cloud over 2020, it was hard to believe the good news about effective vaccines reported in December.
But, as we entered the new year, it was clear: This was our way out.
Injection site
So, on March 15, 2021, I walked into Magers Health and Wellness Center to get my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Three weeks later, I went back for my second round.
After my second dose, I had mild side effects. My head hurt and I spiked a low-grade fever overnight. By the next afternoon, I was back to normal.
This temporary pain was worth it to me. It meant I can sew with my grandma again, hopefully travel to New York City this fall and rest in the assurance that COVID will one day be behind us.
With community participation, that is possible. We’ve done it with other diseases, and I believe we can do it again.
Looking back, looking ahead
When I walked out of Magers after my second dose, I thought about my great-grandmother, Mary Miller. She was a polio survivor.
I wondered if she felt the same intense joy and relief I felt as she had a needle poked in her arm. I wondered if one day my great-grandchildren will ask me about living through the COVID-19 pandemic, as I wish I could ask her about polio now.
I wondered if I made my great-grandma proud. I think I did.
For COVID-19 vaccination resources, visit: