Getting the COVID vaccine is the most people-loving thing we can do

As the COVID vaccine begins rolling out across the United States, Cathy Stevens, director of the White-Riley-Peterson Afterschool Policy Fellowship at The Riley Institute, implores Americans to consider getting the vaccine for the sake of people with compromised immune systems, like her daughter, Halle, 10.

“As many have said, for this vaccine to be successful (and to lower the incidence of the virus in the community), a significant portion of the population will need to be vaccinated,” Stevens wrote in a Greenville News op-ed.

“If you are part of the vaccine-hesitant crowd, I write to appeal to you: Getting a vaccine in the coming months may be the most servant-led, kind-hearted, people-loving thing any of us can do for one another.

“Let me tell you why. My daughter, Halle, is 10 years old, and has a genetic disease so rare that no one else in the world is known to have the same genetic change. She is incredibly immune-compromised, and simple colds are difficult for her. She often lands in the hospital with respiratory illnesses because she has weak muscle tone and struggles to cough.

“I beg of you: Even if you are a strong 25-year-old; even if you have already had the virus and had very few symptoms; even if you are not afraid of getting COVID-19; even if you don’t have any elderly family members nearby – for the love of Halle and all of our other vulnerable community members, please get a vaccine when it becomes available.”