I got the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination. My family was lucky enough to have been informed of leftover vaccines in Welch, West Virginia. It was really important for my family to have gotten vaccinated because of my sister’s disability, which leaves her at risk of severe complications or even death if she contracted COVID-19.

Due to this, I have been locked in the house for the past year. The only person outside of my family whom I’ve been able to spend time with is my partner, Maddox. The both of us have spent this entire year doing remote schooling to protect our families from the virus. Maddox was given the Johnson and Johnson vaccine the same day I received my second Pfizer vaccine. We both had many of the same symptoms.

The vaccine is quick and painless. The needle is small and when it was over I said “Really, that’s it?”. Just like that this endless year of fear and isolation began to dissolve with what was essentially a pinprick. My mother and I sat in the car for 15 minutes as directed by the nurses in utter shock. We were grateful beyond belief. 

We drove home that afternoon, stopping on Eisenhower Drive to pick up some lunch at Burger King. We didn’t feel nauseous, or fatigued, In fact- I felt great. When I got home I made dinner, cleaned the house, took my dog for a walk, and even got my homework done for the whole week. The first dose of the Pfizer vaccine was no worse than getting my yearly flu shot. 

Three weeks later My mother, my sister, and I drove back to Welch to receive our second vaccine dose. We pulled into the parking lot at the National Guard building and waited for the nurses to come outside. Just like before the vaccine was quick and painless. The next day we felt a bit fatigued and sore, but it wasn’t anything that interfered with my day. I still got my homework done, Maddox still went to work, I was still alive.

Now fully vaccinated I can say that it was one of the best decisions I will ever make. In a few weeks, we will be able to gather with our other vaccinated family members without masks, or distance, or gallons of hand sanitizer. 

We did what our ancestors have done for generations. When my great grandparents took the first available vaccines for Measles, Mumps, Polio, and other similar deadly diseases I am sure that their fear was as great as ours is now, but like them, I was brave and willing to do what has to be done to ensure the safety of my family and my community. I ignored the rhetoric and propaganda associated with receiving the vaccine, as should you.

They could’ve given me the vaccine in my eyeball and I’d still proudly wear my “I got vaccinated” sticker. Be a patriot! Protect your community and country and get vaccinated. The best thing we can do now is continue to distance ourselves from each other and make our appointments to get vaccinated. This will be over soon. 

#getvaccinated