Why I’m Getting the Covid Vaccine

Friends, happy Monday! If yours is going anything like mine, it’s probably been a doozy, but at least the sun is shining.

I was all prepared to dazzle you with a healthy salad recipe, but I’m going to hold that one for another day. Today, I want to talk with you about the Covid vaccine.

Just this afternoon, I was finally able to make an appointment for myself and my two high school teens who are over the age of 16. I feel such relief and a huge sense of gratitude for all those who have worked towards making this possible.

I know that getting the vaccine has become very political…even my own house is divided on this one. But I truly believe that this is the only path forward. Every person vaccinated gets us one step closer to putting the nightmare of the last year behind us.

I was lucky enough this weekend to take my parents to visit my sister in Madison to celebrate her birthday. My parents are fully vaccinated, as is my younger sister who is a health care worker. You can’t even imagine the relief I felt knowing that even though I hadn’t yet gotten the vaccine, they were completely protected.

My son Leo plays high school football and has loved having this spring season. It’s his junior year, he has dreams of playing in college, and each game is a little more time to prove to future coaches that he has what it takes to be a college athlete. But after every game is over, he worries it might be his last. Even though the team is being tested weekly, there are no guarantees he won’t come into contact with someone who is a carrier that could ultimately end his season.

While we each benefit from getting the vaccine, it’s the protection we give to others that’s the ultimate prize. We get the vaccine to make other people’s lives better.

I know there is a great deal of concern about the vaccines that are available…that they were rushed, that we don’t know what’s in them, etc. But I truly liken them to flu shots. Flu shots are made in real time to battle the virus at hand. The difference is that the Covid vaccines have guaranteed effectiveness against the coronavirus, where the flu shots are often 50-50 at best. My brother, Bill, has been intimately involved as a doctor and a scientist in bringing these vaccines to market. When he says the vaccines are safe, that his children will get them–that’s good enough for me.

If you live or work in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, or Knollwood, vaccine appointments are available at Deerpath Middle School this weekend on Sunday, April 18. Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Vaccine Buddies are making appointments. Call 847-485-0220 to reserve your spot.

Additionally, a new site opened today at 400 E. Rollins Road in Round Lake (the former K-Mart Supercenter) that will offer indoor COVID-19 vaccinations by appointment to all who live or work in Lake County, Illinois, ages 16 and older, at no cost. When vaccine supply allows the facility to reach its peak capacity of 5,000 vaccinations per day, this will be the largest vaccination site in the county. Vaccinations will be offered by appointment only, Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents may schedule appointments at cur.tv/lakeco. If you have a student athlete, I would strongly consider this option.

If you’re committed to not getting the vaccine, I wish I could change your mind.

If you’re on the fence and won’t do it for yourself, I ask that you think about the people you love who you might do it for instead.

If you’ve already gotten the vaccine, thank YOU!

xo,

Photo by Jenn Marie Photography