My 'Over 65' Parents Got Vaccinated: What It Means To Us

TEMECULA, CA— First, the tiredness hit, Kay Rather says while she fixes breakfast. But she’s not complaining: It’s a side effect of being vaccinated with her husband, Ed, on Thursday at Ralphs Pharmacy in Temeucla. She is grateful to be in the first wave of those over 65 to receive their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

I am more than grateful. Kay is my mother.

As I sit and listen to her describe what it felt like to be vaccinated against the virus that has plagued the world for nearly a year, my mother is still teaching me the art of letting go, of staying in the now, and of being grateful for the hand you're dealt, even if you have to bluff.

At 78, my mother had no doubts about getting the vaccine. My father, 79, felt much the same. Upon retirement from his private dermatology practice, they relocated from Tucson, Arizona. When the time came to get vaccinated, they were ready.

This week they stood in a socially distant line at a Ralphs pharmacy awaiting their appointment. There was a feeling of expectation, she says. It was like waiting for Christmas, or better yet, being thrown a lifeline.

It was nearly a year ago that the coronavirus reached the United States.

Cities worried about where to treat highly contagious patients and how to keep people safe. Over the first three months of 2020, doctors scrambled to explain what the coronavirus was to a worried population. A few cases exploded into a global pandemic as we made our own masks, scrambled for toilet paper and Lysol products to keep our families safe. We watched the world shut down in small slices: first, March Madness, then Disneyland Resort, then schools and restaurants.

As the pandemic progressed, my parents changed every aspect of their lives. Now they remain close to home. Though they love to travel, they became experts in their own backyard.

"I don't think I've ever been home this much or this long," she says.

They've become adept at scheduling Costco, Instacart and meal deliveries and staying home instead of visiting Temecula's many wineries and restaurants. Regrettably, they had to cancel a fall "trip of a lifetime" to Greece.

There will be other vacations for this pair who love to travel if they stay safe. The vaccine, they know, is the ticket to get there.

No, these are not the sunset years they envisioned when moving to southwest Riverside County, she says. But it's the year they got.

"What's a year, anyway?" she asks, pouring a second cup of coffee for me.

My parents left Tucson, Arizona, seven years ago to retire near their youngest grandchildren. Ever active in their church and community, they found a niche in Temecula. They traded season tickets to University of Arizona sporting events for the bleacher seats at Temecula Valley High School. In a typical year, they cheer their grandaughters at TVHS girls varsity soccer games. They made a handful of good friends here, too.

Times have changed over the last 10 months.

These days, they have Zoom cocktail parties on Fridays, online book clubs and online Sunday services at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Knowing they were in the more vulnerable group amid the coronavirus pandemic, they stayed away from crowds and socially distanced but decided to remain part of our family bubble. They studied the Riverside County Health Care website's figures and coronavirus facts. Ed writes a monthly column for his church, explaining the pandemic from a medical perspective to fellow parishioners.

Both have lost friends and loved ones to COVID-19.

When Riverside County Public Health opened up appointments for those over 65 at Ralphs and Albertsons pharmacies, Ed registered them right away. They were grateful to be among the first 200 to receive the shots, and they return in 20 or so days for their boosters.

After their vaccinations, they waited 10 minutes to ensure they had no adverse symptoms. Meanwhile, at least five people headed to the pharmacy window to ask questions on register for a shot. Until Riverside County is allotted more vaccines, the appointments are full.

"We went from only vaccinating health professionals to vaccinating anyone who signed up that fit the over-65 criteria," a Ralphs pharmacist told Patch. "There's a lot of confusion out there. We're short-staffed, and I'm concerned about the second round of vaccines for all these people."

Kay and Ed were told to sign up for their secondary shot about a week out from when it was needed. He marked it on his calendar and asked Siri to remind him to make the appointment.

Now that the vaccinations are done, we went over the symptoms from the shot she received Thursday. My mother described having a light headache and muscle soreness.

"It could have been from stress or the vaccine," she says with a laugh. "I have a headache most days."

Last night, the pair had a light dinner at home, settled in for an evening Netflix movie and were lulled into a fitful sleep. She awoke every time she rolled over onto her vaccinated arm.

"I don't think I've ever had such a sore arm," she says. "It was a deep intramuscular shot, and that happens with such a vaccination."

A retired emergency room nurse, she felt the vaccine going deep into her arm right away. My father experienced many of the same symptoms. Both are relieved to have taken the first step toward protecting themselves from a disease that has altered the course of their lives for the past 10 months.

As their daughter, I am experiencing relief that can hardly be described. These precious people are at last protected.

Still, there are so many who are not. Not yet. Both Kay and Ed remain hopeful that more people over 65 will be vaccinated soon.

"These vaccines are essential," my father says. "People need not be afraid of vaccinating. You need to do it."

My mother agrees.

"We miss regular life," she says. "A year ago today, I was basking on the beach in Maui."

The pair have traveled to Hawaii more than 20 times, visiting all of the islands. Every year before they go, my father takes a picture of my mom hugging a palm tree with the ocean waves at her back.

"Maui is our favorite island by far," she says. "But Oahu and the Aulani are lovely. I miss it all. Getting vaccinated gets us one step closer."

Read also:

Southwest RivCo COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics Open More Appointments