March 2021
Karen
Smith
,
RN
COVID Vaccine Clinic
OSF Multi-Special Services
Karen gave my father his first COVID vaccine 4 weeks ago. My sister and I both left feeling uplifted and in tears. How could receiving a vaccine be better? Karen not only asked the routine questions and gave the vaccine, but she asked 1 or 2 added questions that helped her in 1 minute see my father for who he is as an individual. And suddenly she realized he had lived through almost dying of the Spanish flu, and he had spent his life serving others as a surgeon in Africa. She saw this within 5 minutes and made him feel extremely cared for. She then looked out for us to make sure she cared for my father upon arrival at the vaccine clinic today. We feel so incredibly blessed to have been cared for by Karen. Receiving a vaccine seemed to bring a person a physical, emotional, and spiritual boost. May Karen continue on in this journey of encouraging others in their lives.