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Post-Vaccination: 'I Still Have to Do My Part. I Still Have to Wear My Mask. This is the Beginning'

Rebecca Smith
/
KBIA

Laurie Hines and Ted Glasgow have been together for many years. Laurie is a living kidney donor and the director of the Missouri Kidney Program. Ted is an accomplished bodybuilder and an immunocompromised kidney transplant recipient, which makes COVID-19 an even larger threat.

They spoke about their decision to receive the coronavirus vaccine, and about how receiving their first doses has and hasn’t impacted their daily lives.

Missouri Health Talks gathers Missourians’ stories of access to healthcare in their own words. You can view more conversations at missourihealthtalks.org

Laurie Hines: I mean, for us, there was never a question that we wouldn't get the vaccine. I don't think that we would have ever assumed that a vaccine would not have been right for us, including Ted in his compromised state.

Particularly given that being immunocompromised post-transplant was exactly one of the one of the characteristics that Missouri Department of Health put in that Tier two. It was very clearly spelled out – “post-transplant.”

So, we were pretty comfortable. I don't – I’m not aware that Ted ever question getting one… I don't think you did?

Ted Glasgow: No.

So, you know, with me, more so I feel like I was doing my part, you know – if you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem.

So, by getting vaccinated, it doesn't mean that even with one dose – I don't feel like I got a free wheel to, you know, go willy nilly now. I still have to do my part, I still have to wear my mask, wash my hands, I still have to socially isolate.

This is just the beginning – with so many different strains coming down, you don't know that one dose will protect you from all the different strains.

So, even though I've got one – even if the two doses – I won't change my patterns until this is over. This is pretty much a war, and the only way to win wars, pretty much, is to be war.

So, you can actually relax just because you think you have a little bit of a shield. That's how we get it – it's how we got in trouble before.

Laurie: What about symptoms for you?

Ted: Oh, you know, as far as the shot – I had a sore shoulder. I don't run a fever. So, yeah…

Laurie: I got my shot on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. at Mizzou, and Friday was good, but by Friday evening, I thought “okay, something's not right.”

I had a bad headache, unfortunately, and I was incredibly fatigued. And it was a different fatigue, for sure, than I normally feel by the end of the week. Because – again, it was Friday, and usually by Friday, I'm pretty wasted. But it was definitely different.

And I would say that lasted Friday and Saturday. By Sunday – I was definitely fine.

Rebecca Smith: And then, what has it been like for your mental health to know that you and Ted have at least the beginning of protection? 

Laurie: I think there are two levels. I think there's like the micro level where I'm really happy that both of us did our part and got what we needed to get, and I trust science.

And on the sort of higher level is that grateful to be a part , like Ted said, part of the solution – part of the war team, part of the sort of frontline.

There is a source of sort of pride and relief and being able to say, “yeah, we believe in science,” and “we believe in our community” and “we believe in staying healthy,” and all of those are our values. So, this just aligns with our values, frankly.

Rebecca Smith is an award-winning reporter and producer for the KBIA Health & Wealth Desk. Born and raised outside of Rolla, Missouri, she has a passion for diving into often overlooked issues that affect the rural populations of her state – especially stories that broaden people’s perception of “rural” life.
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