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04.13.21 | Health & Wellness

COVID-19 Vaccine Testimonial: James M. Galloway

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 Rear Admiral (Ret.) James M. Galloway, MD, FACP, FACC, a United States medical doctor and Public Health physician, 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?   

As a physician and a public health professional, as well as a pandemic preparation lead under President Obama, I felt comfortable with vaccine safety in general but, of course, I had to do my diligent research into these COVID vaccines and the science behind them before being satisfied that they were safe and effective. I researched and reviewed the studies themselves as well as looked to the CDC and FDA for their evaluations and data. After these reviews, I felt very comfortable with receiving the vaccine. 

 

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? (If you’ve received both shots, you can break this down by each experience).

As a vaccination center volunteer, I received my first Moderna vaccine in late February and the second in early March. At our vaccination center, in Arizona, sign up was on a website and obtaining the vaccine shot was simple and straightforward, with no untoward effects.

 

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

I had no side effects from either shot. My wife, a nurse who worked at the center as well, had some mild fatigue that evening and went to bed early – and felt fine the next day.

 

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?  

The risk of COVID for me was much greater than the risk of the vaccine and provides me with a sense of relief I have not felt in a year. It remains critically important, even after vaccination, to wear a mask and maintain social distancing in public and around those who have not been vaccinated as well as continuing to avoid large gatherings. However, within our household and among our close relatives, all have been vaccinated now – and you cannot believe the wonder of hugging my 5 year old granddaughter again after a year! 

 

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

Absolutely. I have spoken with a great number of people who were hesitant about getting the vaccine due to concerns about its safety. After I had the chance to share with them the results of my research and study, many of these individuals proceeded to get their vaccinations. 

 

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

It is imperative that we protect our families and community members by getting OUR vaccine! It is also important for us as a nation and a community to get back towards normal, to open our schools, our businesses, our communities and our homes. 

Text overlay reads: "The risk of COVID for me was much greater than the risk of the vaccine and provides me with a sense of relief I have not felt in a year."
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04.06.21 | Health & Wellness

COVID-19 Vaccine Testimonial: Marc Lane

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.

Text reads: "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 my family, friends and others with whom I can now interact." Marc Lane on getting the COVID-19 vaccine
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03.30.21 | Health & Wellness

COVID-19 Vaccine Testimonial: Dwain Kyles

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 President Donna Gaines last week, this week we interviewed Dwain Kyles, an attorney and entrepreneur. He also serves as the Vice President Legal and Development of Sage Collective and a member of our Board of Directors. 

 

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 make the decision to be vaccinated? What /who were your sources of information and guidance? 

I got the vaccine because I have chronic health conditions that make me a person that might not survive a COVID infection. I’m not ready to die.

I was skeptical at first because the politicization of the whole issue, as well as the historical timeframe required for developing and testing new vaccines, left me doubtful that a vaccine could be developed in such a short time. I am an avid news junkie, and as I saw more and more news reports and interviews with African American doctors and scientists who participated in the development and testing of the vaccine, I learned that the underlying technology involved in the vaccine has been around for more than a decade, they simply didn’t have the concentrated resources and demand to bring the vaccine to fruition.

I was also persuaded by the high profile public officials in healthcare, science and government that were getting the vaccine in front of the whole world.  They wouldn’t do that if they were afraid that they would have adverse reactions or if they thought the shots wouldn’t work.

 

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 got the Moderna vaccine last week. That was the soonest we could get it. It was my first shot. We were fortunate to have been signed up by a friend who is a public official. We were called about a week after he signed us up. We were in line in our car for about an hour and a half in the parking lots of a church that was not too far from where we live here in Florida. I simply rolled up my sleeve, after filling out my data sheet and handing it to the healthcare worker who gave me the shot. The shot itself was quick and pretty painless.  

 

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

I did have soreness at the injection site for a few days afterward, but other than that, I have had no side effects at all.

 

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?

Frankly, my doctor doesn’t know enough to speculate about how long the vaccine will last or when I might need to get another shot. We have agreed to continue to talk about it, so that as he learns more, he can share more.

 

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

I’m sure that anyone who knows me knows that I am an advocate for getting this shot as soon as you can. If you want to get back to some semblance of a normal life, then this vaccine is essential.  Remember, it won’t necessarily keep you from catching COVID, but it significantly enhances your chances of surviving an infection without serious illness, or death, being a likely outcome.

 

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

My community is disproportionately impacted by the most serious negative outcomes from COVID, as well as most other chronic diseases. Accordingly, if we are to survive this pandemic and reclaim anything like the lives we had, it simply cannot happen if we don’t vaccinate as many of our people as we possibly can, as soon as we can … period.

Image reads "If we are to survive this pandemic and reclaim anything like the lives we had, it simply cannot happen if we don't vaccinate as many of our people as we possibly can, as soon as we can, period." -Dwain Kyles on why he got the COVId-19 vaccine
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03.23.21 | Health & Wellness

COVID-19 Vaccine Testimonial: Donna Gaines

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.

First up is Donna Gaines, President of Sage Collective and a member of our Board of Directors. 

 

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?   

DG: I took the COVID-19 vaccine because I wanted to protect myself from getting the disease and to accelerate the timeframe for when I can resume some of the activities I enjoy like getting together with family and friends. 

I had a lot of reservations about getting the vaccine initially, because I felt that it hadn’t been tested enough among the general population. I have allergies, so I was a little concerned about possible side-effects from getting the shot. I also wanted the Pfizer vaccine because it was reported to have fewer side effects, and almost backed out at the last minute when I found out I was getting the Moderna vaccine.

I relied on information from the CDC, supplemented by articles from the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times. I usually watch MSNBC, and local news stations for updates in my city. I also spoke with several people who had the 1st dose, so I felt comfortable making a decision with the information I had available.

 

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? (If you’ve received both shots, you can break this down by each experience)   

DG: I have received one dose of the Moderna vaccine and it was administered a couple of weeks ago. I signed up on the state’s website, and was also on a list in the County where I live. The first notification I received that I was scheduled for the vaccine was about 4-5 days later, and it was a “reminder” via text, sent 3 hours before my scheduled appointment. I cancelled a previous appointment I had scheduled at that time to be available for my vaccination!

I went to a drive-through location at a church not too far from where I live. I went with my husband, and we waited in the car for an hour and 20 minutes to receive our shots — which took about 30 seconds to administer. We received our appointments for the 2nd dose at that time, and we waited in a holding area (parking space) for 30 minutes (instead of 15 minutes because of my allergies), so we could be monitored. By the way, while we waited for our shots, paramedics were attending to someone who was parked in the holding area, so THAT was a little disconcerting!

 

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

DG: I had a lot of soreness at the injection site, and even though I have a high tolerance for pain, it was uncomfortable enough that I ended taking ibuprofen for a couple of days. I asked for the shot in my left arm so that I wouldn’t be too limited in my ability to do things. I’m glad I did!

The overwhelming emotion I had was a huge sense of relief, and I didn’t realize how anxious I’ve been about getting sick . . . and possibly dying!

 

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?  

DG: I have not discussed the vaccination with my physician, and don’t have any aftercare measures planned other than to clear my calendar after my 2nd dose.  I hear some people have a few more side effects after the second shot.

 

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

DG: Yes! I had an in-depth conversation with an extended family member the other day who was adamant about not taking the vaccine. At the end of the conversation, she told me she would take it, and I was happy to hear that!  Sage Collective also wants to be at the forefront of these discussions, and we’re committed to educating as many people as we can over the coming weeks and months!

 

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

DG: Recent research suggests that COVID-19 will eventually become an endemic disease, like its sister coronaviruses, the common cold or even a disease like the measles, which is largely under control in the United States.  For now, as many people as possible should be vaccinated and eventually, babies will no doubt be vaccinated at birth.   

Given the high incidence of illness from COVID-19 and deaths in the African American community, it is really important that all individuals — and particularly those at high risk — take the opportunity to protect themselves as more of the vaccine becomes available.  COVID has reduced the life span of Blacks and Latinos by 3-4 years, so this is literally a life or death matter! 

A quote on top of an image of a COVID-19 vaccine vial, with a green overlay and the Sage logo in the lower right corner. Text reads: "I took the COVID-19 vaccine because I wanted to hopefully protect myself from getting the disease and to accelerate the timeframe for when I can resume some of the activities I enjoy, like getting together with family and friends." Quote attribution below reads: "Donna Gaines, on getting the COVID-19 vaccine"
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