August 18, 2021
Cindy’s Blog: Geri Saved Me
I set my alarm for 4:30 Tuesday morning. I was facing a very long day of COVID vaccination discussions. A 4:30 wakeup would give me time for a little workout and a shower before I hit the road at 5:50. Except I set the alarm for 4:30 P.M. When I woke up at 5:40 A.M. (luckily), I not only didn’t have time for my workout but I didn’t have time to shower (be happy you didn’t have to sit next to me all day). So, my day was a little stinky (figuratively and perhaps literally, as well).
I was hoping a Starbucks coffee at the Riverside Café might rescue me, but it was Geri who did. Geri (whom I had never met) greeted me with an effusive, “Hi doc!” and proceeded to be unabashedly, positively, exuberantly, and delightfully happy. I had to know her secret so I asked. She said it was easy to be happy because, “I LOVE being here. I love my job. I love the people. I love the staff!”
Geri’s right, of course. It’s the people. It’s always been and will always be the people that make CentraCare, Carris Health, each of our sites, departments, and interactions with each other so singular, so special. It’s the people that make us great.
I LOVE THE PEOPLE TOO. People like Geri, who make my day. People who have served our patients for four weeks or forty years. People who have committed to the messy, demanding, frustrating, and sometimes scary world of health care because they want to make a difference for someone else.
And I don’t want to lose even one of those people. I don’t want to lose YOU.
I need help to understand your why. As a doctor I couldn’t WAIT to get a COVID vaccine.
If you have chosen not to be vaccinated for COVID-19, I need help to understand your why. As a doctor, I couldn’t WAIT to get a COVID vaccine. I knew we were dealing with imperfect data in an imperfect situation. (In a perfect world we wouldn’t have this %$*&# pandemic to begin with.) But it was absolutely the easiest medical decision I have ever made.
I have not yet caught Covid, but I probably will. It’s going to be hard to completely escape infection, especially with new variants like Delta. Prior to being vaccinated, I fully expected to survive COVID, but I was concerned I might be left with permanent damage to my brain, heart, or kidneys. Also—and this was my biggest fear—while I could accept the possibility of dying, I couldn’t live with becoming infected and possibly infecting someone I cared for or care about. Getting vaccinated meant I was less likely to be infected, and even more important, I was less likely to put my immunocompromised and elderly patients, my diabetic son, and my pregnant daughter at risk. Getting vaccinated also meant I was protecting those who could not get vaccinated, including my 2-year-old granddaughter. Getting vaccinated for COVID was one of the biggest reliefs of my life. Yes, I know some people have had side-effects, but they pale in comparison to the side-effects and death rate of COVID.
My biggest side-effect was joy.
But I understand that some fear the “unknowns” of the vaccine. I respect those fears. I have listened to the fears of my patients who are concerned about a family history of heart disease, or the fact that they’ve reacted “funny” to medicines in the past and how that might affect their ability to be safely vaccinated, or how it might affect their future fertility. Whether the side-effects are real or not, THE FEARS ARE REAL and we can work through them.
We can take comfort and confidence in the fact that over 96% of U.S. physicians have chosen to be vaccinated for COVID.
We can take comfort and confidence in the fact that over 96% of U.S. physicians have chosen to be vaccinated for COVID. And the percentage of CentraCare and Carris docs and APPs who have chosen to be vaccinated is close to that percentage too. The most knowledgeable people we know and trust have weighed the risks and believe that the vaccine is far safer than the effects of COVID, both short-term and long-term.
Let’s tune out the noise around us and tune-in to each other. Let’s discuss fears and concerns and let our clinical staff guide us. And then let’s do what we do best — make a difference in the lives of others.
We can work through this, together.
We welcome comments from CentraCare and Carris Health employees. Please include your name and CentraCare/Carris Health email when submitting your comment.
I felt the same way, pure joy! I too feel that I did not get the COVID-19 vaccine for myself, but mainly for the safety of my friends, family and community!
Thank you for sharing this message! Your words resonate with me and with so many others. Thank you for staying curious and empathetic. May this “blog” alleviate the fears of even just one person on the fence about getting vaccinated. Keep sharing your joy!
Geri Thomas, I knew this was you! When it said, “Geri saved me,” I knew exactly who this person was, it was my sisters friend, my friend Geri! You have no idea how many peoples lives you have touched with your warmth, humor and enthusiam for being a light to the world! Thanks for being you! Yes, CentraCare is all about the people!
Great Story : )
I really enjoyed this! Thanks for writing.
what a wonderfully warm and understanding essay. i love how you identify that it is mostly fear that prevents us from getting vaccinated. i couldn’t wait to get vaccinated, and when they opened it up for all of us, i was overjoyed… also wanna be first to get the booster when i need to.
The wash of joy and shedding of anxiety didn’t happen the day I got my vaccine as I thought it would, though I drove 2.5 hours in a snow storm to get my first dose. Rather, it happened a week later when my son (age 19) got his. My son had secured his own appointment and his dad (my former husband) decided to tag along in the event there’d be an extra dose and he could have one too. My son text me from the pharmacy that both he AND his dad had been vaccinated! I cheered out loud all by myself at my desk, tears streaming down my face. That day meant that ALL of my immediate family had their first dose. THAT was a fantastic day.
DOC…(well now i know your name is Cindy)
100 Thank yous for the warm fuzzy you gave me as i read your blog.
Comments have reached me today and while already loving my job as i do… i find it more satisfying now then ever. Thanks everybody
Your story resonates with me. For myself, I also felt a strong sense of community when getting my own shots- knowing that my vaccine would help protect others and that others were there getting the shot to help protect me. Getting the vaccine was something I could do- at a time when many things seemed beyond our control.
When my mother, sister, husband, daughters, neighbors, friends, patients and co-workers (the list goes on) got the vaccine, I felt a sense of relief and gratitude. Relief that they will be more protected and gratitude that they are protecting me too.
As a clinician, I have learned that many kids are carrying this burden with them, this fear of their loved ones getting ill, which for many is unspoken. This has become clear as many kids have shared their relief when their loved ones get vaccinated. Relief is that wonderful feeling when we exhale all of that worry and anxiety and feel our load lightening.
My hope is that in time, we can all carry a lighter load.
Freedom is how I would describe my feeling after completing the COVID vaccinations. First dose was December 22, and the CentraCare hallway leading up to the vaccination site reminded me of Black Friday sales. Literally we physicians were jogging and walking at a fast pace to get there to get our first shots. Maybe we thought they would run out of vaccines for us? January 9th was the second shot. I will be due for my booster shot September 9th. Can I be first in line when the booster is available?
My biggest side effect of receiving the vaccine has been joy, as well. Wow, the anxiety I felt at having to go to work, in close contact with the public, was something that was actually giving me nightmares before the vaccine. I had no option to stay at home unless I wanted to resign from my job. I have an immunocompromised family member I’m an unofficial caregiver for, so I strongly identify with: “Prior to being vaccinated, I fully expected to survive COVID, but I was concerned I might be left with permanent damage to my brain, heart, or kidneys. Also—and this was my biggest fear—while I could accept the possibility of dying, I couldn’t live with becoming infected and possibly infecting someone I cared for or care about. Getting vaccinated meant I was less likely to be infected, and even more important, I was less likely to put my immunocompromised and elderly patients, my diabetic son, and my pregnant daughter at risk. Getting vaccinated also meant I was protecting those who could not get vaccinated…” Thank you for having these hard discussions with people!