September 1, 2021

I Remember Being Afraid

By: Alan Olson, MD, Occupational Health, Carris Health

I am a cancer survivor. I remember being afraid. Afraid that I would not see my kids graduate from high school, or see my grandchildren, or miss the adventure of growing old with my wife. Afraid of dying before my parents, of not having fully done my part to make a difference in the world. I was in the hospital for a week after having 18 cm of my colon removed – a caregiver turned care receiver.  

What an amazing experience (not the post op pain…there was plenty of that)! The amazing part was the love and compassion given to me in the care that I received over that week. One of my nurses had been a next-door neighbor to me when we lived in Willmar. Others who did not know me previously, made me feel like I was a family member or loved one in their care. What an amazing team. Neighbors taking care of neighbors. It’s what we do. It reminded me of why I went into healthcare. 

Then COVID happened. I remember being afraid. I especially remember being afraid when we became tasked with caring for COVID patients in Redwood Falls when the original plan was to transfer all COVID positive admissions to other facilities. Then the magic happened. Once again, our incredible team worked together to navigate the uncharted waters COVID presented to us. We built a COVID ward. We wore PPE to protect ourselves and those around us. We took advantage of the experience and support of each other in our Carris/CentraCare team. We were committed to giving our best to our communities in a difficult time. We wanted to do the best we knew how to take care of each other. 

I chose to be immunized because I want to do my part to help keep my family and community – my neighbors – as safe as possible.

alan olson, MD, Occupational health, Carris health

The COVID vaccine brought with it hope, but what I fear now is that many in our communities are at increased risk of serious infection and possibly death because so many remain unimmunized. Why did I get my COVID shots? I chose to be immunized because my parents are 91 and 87 years old. I chose to be immunized because I have grandchildren ages 5 and 3 months. I chose to be immunized because that seems to be the best path to getting back to “normal.” I chose to be immunized because I want to do my part to help keep my family and community – my neighbors – as safe as possible. What’s your why?