No Longer Against the Vaccine

Saooooo, Thursday, April 15th at 10:07 a.m., I received my first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine at the Davie Pine Island Park Multipurpose Center in Florida. The only side effect I encountered was an extremely sore/heavy arm that thankfully subsided after three days, it was tough & painful to move.

Initially, I was against the vaccine simply because I didn’t want to be inoculated & I had zero intentions of changing my mind. My parents received the vaccine then a thought crossed my mind, “what if I get them sick when I go visit because I decided to not get vaccinated?” I thought about my grandad as well, who I haven’t hugged in over a year, another thought— “if there’s any possibility of a vaccine getting me that hug, I’m for it.” [Edit 5/22, I got my hug!]

My decision was fully made after I read this article, https://wset.com/news/coronavirus/utah-woman-39-dies-4-days-after-2nd-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine-autopsy-ordered-kassidi-kurill, the section that resonated with me the most:

“ ‘There’s always risk’ he said.

"You can't make that go away, we take risk everyday all day long. You just have to decide -does it make sense?"

For him ‘as a 69-year-old diabetic it made sense to take the second shot and get 95% immunity.’ After a long pause, he said that ‘if you are young maybe it doesn't make sense.” Ultimately “you will have to make your own decision.’”

Ultimately, my decision was based on protecting others, especially my granddaddy, knowing he’d feel more comfortable if I were vaccinated. I’ve unfortunately known of a few people who passed away due to COVID or got severely sick & that’s also who I thought of as I scheduled my appointment.

Whether you decide to get vaccinated or not, respect the decision of others & continue to do as much as you can to protect our world.

If you’re in Miami/Fort Lauderdale & need an appointment, contact: 954.995.4997.

xoJR