The many emotions of holding a door…

By Breanna Callahan, Marketing Coordinator

I can’t prepare the vials of vaccine. I can’t administer shots. I can’t update people’s medical records. But I CAN help people make their way from their car into the hospital safely. I CAN lend a hand or an arm to help steady them. I CAN get them a wheelchair or wander the parking lot when they are done, helping them find their car. I can hold the door for them when they enter the building or when they leave.

Now, I know it probably doesn’t seem like much, being the door/valet person. I get back so much more than I give. It has impacted me so much. Each time I help with a vaccine clinic, I am amazed. The gratitude people show after receiving the vaccine ­- they are grateful to be able to get the vaccine; they are grateful we are there to help; and they are grateful to see a glimmer of light, of hope. Being able to see their families again. Being able to go to the grocery store again. To get a hug from a loved one.

But what I’m feeling goes beyond gratitude. how I feel being able to help with this is unexplainable. But I’m going to try.

I feel amazed. Amazed by how each and every time I help with a Vaccine Clinic, I get tears in my eyes. To be a part of something that is literally life changing. I don’t get a chance to be involved in stuff like this very often, being in Marketing.

I feel fortunate and thankful. Being a part of an organization who is able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine is a privilege. I know about the planning, organizing, and communication that was needed in order to be able to be approved as a facility to administer vaccines. Being a part of an organization who had such a passion for being able to help those in our communities is wonderful, who charged forward with such a passion to help people that we couldn’t be held back. We knew we were going to do this and do it well.

I feel connected. I feel more connected with others in this organization than I ever have. The amount of teamwork involved, the number of people it takes to hold a vaccine clinic, is humbling. Everyone from those scheduling the patients, holding the door for patients, those registering people, administering the vaccine, making sure everyone is feeling well. And that is just the beginning. There are so many tasks done in the background I can’t even begin to explain them. To think we each are playing a role in this, and it takes us all, like literally all of us, is inspiring.

I feel joy (and teary-eyed). When people arrive, I am guessing they are feeling a variety of emotions. Anxious, excited, relieved, nervous to name a few. To be able to welcome them at the door, smile, and hopefully help them relax is an honor. When people are leaving, so full of gratitude I get teary. Because really, the privilege is ours. It is so humbling to be so trusted in this confusing time. To be a small part of something bigger, something so impactful, important to our lives, is something that I will happily hold doors for.