I don't mean to gloat or make anyone who is still unvaccinated feel bad. Your time will come, as it seems to be getting closer and closer for all. And with the release of the J&J single-shot option, the advent of 24-hour vaccination centers, along with apps that can facilitate everything from reservations to alerts for leftover doses - hope is rising even faster on the horizon. For the moment, I'm thrilled to now be the latest member of the herd, and looking to give out some hugs.
We've spoken often about my Multiple Myeloma medical miracles, but I think it bears reflection on what mass vaccination of 300 million+ people really means. You know I'm not going to get into the politics of that statement, but I would like to remind us that almost exactly one year ago, the concept of a global pandemic was "injected" into our lives and our culture. And in the past 12 months, the development of not one but three highly effective vaccines has been successfully accomplished. Taking into consideration that it normally requires about 10-12 years for the development lifecycle of a typical vaccine, this recent accomplishment is fairly impressive. A skeptic might complain that why can't they be this speedy with the creation of all other medications. But I'm not a skeptic and I don't think we can marshall those kinds of Covid-fighting resources or energy around all of our needs (or we would already have great tasting, calorie-free ice cream by now - in multiple flavors).
As a person with an incurable strain of cancer, I would like nothing better than to be freed from these sustained shackles of sickness, but I can't expect that science is working round-the-clock, with an open checkbook, to conquer my condition. And mine is just one of many scourges out there that should be addressed and defeated - cancerous or otherwise. Let it be known that places like the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and countless amazing reserachers around the globe, among others, are indeed working day and night to cure this cancer.
So for the time being, I'm going to count my blessings that a double-dose of Moderna is swimming around in my bloodstream, and that the Coronavirus cavalry is coming to rescue my family and friends. My sincere condolences to all of those who we've known and loved that befell this horrible tragedy.
