Getting the Shot
I remember two things about 1954. The New York Giants beat the Cleveland Indians in the world series; I was crushed. And I participated in the trials for the new Salk polio vaccine; we were living in Corpus Christi at the time. I was in the second grade. I don’t recall if I got a shot or a sugar cube and I certainly don’t know if I got a placebo or the real thing. I did get a card and a little pin that said I was a Polio Pioneer. My parents kept them and now I have them. I mention this because on Monday I’m scheduled to get the new Coronavirus vaccine.
It feels pretty fitting, sort of like I’m getting the second bookend. I participated in a key event of the 20th century in my youth, and now I’m taking part in a key event in the 21st in my declining years. It’s a reminder, as if I needed it, that I’m lucky to be alive in such an age where bright people can put their minds to a problem and solve it for the betterment of the human race and me in particular. And that’s not to mention all the other diseases we’ve gotten under control like malaria, measles, chickenpox, cholera, diphtheria, and the list goes on and on.
I know there are people suspicious of vaccines and this one in particular, but I grew up in a medical family; my mom was a nurse, my dad a Navy hospital corpsman, I was a corpsman, and we trusted doctors. That’s why I’m going to head downtown and get the shot. Of course, it occurs to me something could go wrong, but if it does it will be part of the learning process and will help the next person and that’s good. But since I’m a glass half full guy, I prefer to think of the nice things it might bring about, like me not having to sweat every sniffle and cough and maybe even getting a chance to hug my friends and family once again. So, there are blessings both ways.