Why I changed my mind on the vaccine
Louise's story
My Mum's illness and my Dad’s death made me think differently about the vaccine.
Louise is a Support Worker at our Stepping Forward North day service.
Before the first lockdown last year, my Mum was in hospital. She didn’t go into hospital because of Covid but she contracted it while she was there. All the family had been visiting her regularly whilst she’d been in hospital, then suddenly only my Dad was allowed to.
The scale of the coronavirus pandemic was becoming clearer, but my Dad wouldn’t stop visiting my Mum. On the day the hospital stopped all visits, he contracted Covid as well. He died four days later.
My Dad had been my Mum’s carer, so once she was ready to be discharged from the hospital, we had to work out some alternative arrangements. She couldn’t stay in her own house and she couldn’t move into a care home because she’d had Covid. The only option I had was to convert my garage into a room for her. She stayed there for a few months before passing away at the end of January this year.
My Mum didn’t die of Covid, but her illness and my Dad’s death made me think differently about the vaccine. When I first heard about it, it felt like an unknown and I was doubtful about whether enough research had been done. I’d decided that I wasn’t going to take it.
Now I’ve read more about the vaccine and I know that there has been robust research. My Uncle also died of Covid earlier this year and that was the final straw for me. I ended up being one of the first people at the Trust to have the jab.
I think the Trust has responded really well to the pandemic. They’ve supplied us with all the PPE we need and they’ve kept us up to date with the latest guidance and advice.
We need to stop the spread of this awful disease. If anyone is unsure about having the vaccine, I’d say definitely go for it. Hopefully it will save lots of people’s lives in the future.