Light at the end of the tunnel

Landing vaccine appointment means life can go on

Scoring a vaccine - Commentary

I scored a vaccine for my wife and I on Sunday.

We previously had not been eligible since we are both under age 65. But because of my wife’s previous bouts with cancer and a medication I take that compromises my immune system, we became eligible this weekend.

Neither of us were fearful for our future or desperate to get the vaccine. I suspect we have handled the pandemic as well as anyone. We’re both retired now and have been able to limit our exposure by just staying home. We go to the grocery store, but that is about it. But we would like to visit our son in Texas some time soon.

We’ve stayed busy this past summer with chores and projects in the yard. The winter months have been more challenging. I recently found I could make reservations to shoot baskets and the YMCA and my wife took on the challenge of a 1,000-piece puzzle. She completed it in a few days.

This past week, we asked our doctors for letters that confirmed our eligibility.

On Sunday afternoon, more out of a sense of curiosity, I used my phone to check if the state had changed its website to include us under 65 who qualified. It had. So just as we  started an old movie Sunday afternoon, I got into the state vaccine site to schedule an appointment.

I was surprised I got in so quickly.

  The state sites in Utica, Syracuse and Potsdam all had appointments available. I tried Utica and quickly secured an appointment for my wife for March 17 after mucking up the appointment on my first attempt for a week earlier.

Then, I tried to get an appointment for me. At one point, my wife and I had each of our phones waiting in an electronic queue while I also set one up on my iPad.  All those years of scoring Springsteen tickets were finally paying off.

I was ready to give up as dinner time approached, when I backed out of the system and tried one more time where I immediately got an appointment for March 22.

I understand this is not the end of our risk, but it feels good to have a plan for the future, a destination to when we might be able to again live a more normal life and finally begin to enjoy our retirement.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.