As part of our ongoing campaign to encourage and ramp up vaccination in Black communities across America, Sage Collective is creating testimonials that showcase why people have chosen to receive the coronavirus vaccine, and what the experience was like. To start, we’re engaging our own Board of Directors and Leadership Team to share their stories. 

After sharing the experience of Sage Collective’s own Donna Gaines and Dwain Kyles, this week we interviewed Marc J. Lane, a nationally recognized business and tax attorney, pioneer behind the Advocacy Investing® approach to socially responsible and mission-related investing, and member of the Sage Collective Leadership Team. 

Why did you personally take the COVID-19 vaccine? Did you have any reservations or questions? Do you feel you had all the information you needed to take the decision to be vaccinated? What /who were your sources of information and guidance?   

I closely followed – and continue to follow — the publicly available medical information about COVID-19 and the vaccine, and felt fully informed to move ahead with confidence.

When did you receive your COVID-19 vaccine and from what company (Moderna, Pfizer, etc.)? What was the experience of signing up/scheduling? Have you received both shots? Where did you have to go to get your vaccinations? What was the experience like of getting into the chair and actually receiving the shot? 

I’ve been fully vaccinated since late February. The signup at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center was easy and so was each experience. The team was efficient, helpful and friendly, answering any questions anyone might have had.  My wife and I were in and out within a half hour.

How did you feel after receiving the vaccine, physically or otherwise? Did you experience any side effects?   

I felt relieved and gratified to be moving back to a normal life. The side effects were a small price to pay for my own protection and the protection of family, friends and others with whom I can now interact.

What is your doctor saying about how COVID-19 vaccination fits into your long term health plan? Are you taking any aftercare measures — if so, what?  

My doctor was always reassuring, endorsing my own view that the vaccine is our best way to mitigate COVID risk, for ourselves and others.

Are you serving as a guide to others who are seeking information and reassurance about being vaccinated?  

Absolutely! I enthusiastically encourage anyone who raises the question to get vaccinated as soon as they can.

Overall, what do you believe makes COVID-19 vaccination so important to society writ large, and in your specific community?  

The vaccine is our ticket back to normal … for all of us. There’s simply no valid argument to the contrary.