…actually I’ll take any shot thank you!

Yes, I’ve had my second dose; woohoo. My first vaccine was Astrazenica and my second was Moderna. I had a reaction to both vaccines; fever, aches, pains and extreme fatigue, but it only lasted a few days and the symptoms disappeared as quickly as they came on. I am so thankful to have had my second vaccine and it was much sooner than originally scheduled. Afterwards I felt elated. I wanted to shout to the world “Look at me, I’ve had both shots!!!!” but that would just be weird. I can hardly wait to meet up with friends albeit outside on a patio. It feels like an eternity since I’ve felt that kind of freedom. In fact, for me, it has been an eternity.

Dealing with cancer and dealing with Covid have many similarities. I remember after undergoing my mastectomy spending many a day sitting on my front porch watching the world go by, too weak and too vulnerable to socialize with anyone. Over the last three years I’ve had to recoup from seven different surgeries, all of which left me isolated and very removed from what life used to be like before cancer. Covid has felt just like that. Once again, I, like everyone else, was stuck at home; isolated; trapped and feeling very alone. Even with the restrictions starting to lift we must all still follow protocol. Masks are still necessary, social distancing and yes…hand sanitizer. Ahhhh the sweet smell of alcohol mixed with cleaning fluids….its become the new scent of the century! Can’t you just picture one of those lame commercials where scantily clad men and women are running down the beach, or standing atop the Eiffel Tower gazing across a brightly lit Paris, when they turn to each other and before they embrace, they squirt their hand with sanitizer, don a mask, and then air kiss as they can’t yet get too close. Yup, that’s our reality for awhile still, but we are slowly getting there; a place that we refer to as “normal”. What will the “new” normal be I wonder? Will we ever not have a mask at the ready just in case? Will we ever go to a concert, shoulder to shoulder with strangers and not feel nervous? I do hope so, but I have to think that kind of behaviour may be a thing of the past for a very long time. But I think we can all appreciate that we have come a long way since March 2020 and things are looking up.

I encourage everyone to try to get their second shot as soon as possible. Mine was originally scheduled for end of August and I was able to move it up to end of June. Every month, week, day makes a difference. And for those of you who haven’t had their first shot….what the hell are you waiting for!? It’s easy. It’s available. Just do it! We owe it to ourselves and to each other to get vaccinated, to follow protocols and to stay safe. Just because you’ve had both shots, and thank you for doing so, doesn’t make you immune. You could still contract the virus AND you could still be a carrier. Two women passed me in a store today and they were not wearing masks. I was shocked and blurted out ” Excuse me, but where are your masks?” They looked at me, shrugged their shoulders and said, “We’ve been vaccinated” and kept walking.

Let’s not let our guards down. We have come so far and we are making such great headway…but please don’t become complacent. Please don’t forget what it was like before we had access to vaccines. Remember when we couldn’t find toilet paper in stores? Remember when we had to order yeast on Amazon when we all took up baking our own bread?! No one wants to return to those days. SO stay smart. Stay safe…and get your second shot. Please!

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