Freedom by Vaccine

It’s been almost three months since the COVID-19 vaccine rolled into town, giving Chicagoans their social lives, the movies, time with their loved ones and, in a nutshell, their freedom back. 

While many continue to live in fear and uncertainty without the vaccine and some are reluctant to receive it, Dr. Allison Arwady, head of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said April will see “much bigger” numbers for Chicago in terms of vaccinations—and even more in May.

These vaccinated Chicagoans discuss their post-vaccine life:

Marco Ramirez, 52, an Oak Street healthcare worker in Edgewater, received his second shot in mid-December and said although he experienced some side effects post-vaccination, including chills and a low-grade fever for about 40 hours, he feels “the glass is full” and has more “ammunition” in his chest. 

Ramirez said he is finally going out in public now that he is vaccinated. His first stop was the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit, the first public event he has attended since the pandemic hit. He says he is looking forward to golfing this spring and getting back to playing kickball with his team. 

As a healthcare professional and travel-enthusiast, Ramirez explained, “Vacation is the key to my well-being and continuation of my journey on this earth,” further noting he will continue to wear his mask, wash his hands and social distance if that means he can continue to do the things in life he enjoys. He advises others to do the same. 

Chicago resident Vickie Fassl, 25, received the vaccine in February under Phase 1A of the rollout due to her severe asthma. For the past year, her doctors warned her of her risks of the virus, advising her to take social distancing seriously and even upping her medications to protect her lungs. 

“I felt super excited to get rid of that constant anxiety of ‘what if I got this virus... what could happen to me due to my health?’” she said. 

Fassl admitted she was “very scared” during the pandemic, having gone more than a month without seeing anyone. 

“There was more anxiety and experiences I missed compared to friends who were not worried about getting the virus the way I was, so it was a hard thing to sit back from my friends’ small gatherings,” she said. “I had too much anxiety to risk getting sick.” 

Fassl says she has not seen her family, who live outside of the country, for a year. She hopes once her family members get the vaccine, they will be able to reunite.

Expectant mother Stephanie Zirin, 37, said it felt like she won the lottery when she was able to get an appointment for the vaccine, and though she experienced shaming from some for receiving the vaccine while pregnant, she ultimately decided it was the right thing to do for her unborn baby. 

“I was not hesitant,” she said. “My deciding factor was when my OB/GYN and the pediatrician were both encouraging me to do it and did it themselves. Plus, the proven results came in with babies being born with antibodies.”

Zirin said she had no serious side effects except some site pain on her arm, and she and the baby are doing fine. She is expecting the arrival of her child come June. 

“I don’t have any set plans (for the future) but I’m just excited to not feel as nervous and help my baby be born with antibodies,” she said.

Sherrill Bodine received her second COVID-19 vaccine shot in March and said she feels great mentally and physically, adding she can sum up her feelings about the entire process with one word: “Relief.”

“My bags are packed for adventure,” Bodine said. “Newport, Rhode Island in May; the Hamptons in July; a writers’ conference in Florida; maybe Sicily in September and Hawaii in October [and] The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina to experience the Christmas decorations in early December. Yes, I have wanderlust.”

Marie Mancuso, 79, said she was “very scared” of getting her shot. She compared the frightening memory to that of getting her polio vaccine when she was very young; flashbacks from her mother holding her and her brother’s hands as they went in to receive their shots came to mind. 

Mancuso said she ultimately decided to go through with receiving the vaccine because she could no longer sit alone in her condo. She applauds the Northwestern Hospital, which she describes as “terrific, every step of the way” and which has constantly reminded her she was helping make history with everyone else. 

“My friends also received the shots and two weeks later we went for lunch for the first time in almost a year,” Mancuso said. “It felt good to be normal again.”