Aug 16, 2021 – Sheletta Brundidge, 49, of Minnesota, expects her son to ask for an Xbox or a pair of LeBron James shoes on his 15th birthday. Instead, he had a simple request: that his mother get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“What happens to us if you get sick? Or if you die? “Asked 15-year-old Andrew.
“I was very moved,” says Brundidge, mother of four, three of whom have special needs. “I never thought about how my decision not to get the vaccine would affect my children. He made me realize that it wasn’t just a personal decision. I had to get it for my children and my community. “
Less than 2 weeks after Andrew’s birthday, Brundidge gave him the desired gift. On Friday she went to a grocery pharmacy in Maplewood, MN and received the first of two Pfizer shots.
Since the pandemic began, Brundidge, a local media personality, has recognized the seriousness of COVID-19. But as a black woman, she has little faith in a health system that has often brushed aside color communities.
Researchers have found that people of color do not receive the same level of care as white patients. According to various studies, pain is often under-treated in people of color, and black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.
Brundidge says she nearly died in childbirth because doctors ignored her symptoms and concerns.
“The health system has not been fair or fair in treating Black and Brown patients,” she says. “As black women we have to fight to get basic services.”
“Now they come to our churches, have town halls and try to convince us to get vaccinated. They care about our health now because it affects white people. “
Color communities are also hardest hit by the pandemic. Black people infected with COVID-19 are twice as likely to die. Of those who are fully vaccinated in the US, about 10% are black.
Andrew’s birthday wish was a wake-up call for his mom – especially now that there is the highly transmissible Delta variant, says Brundidge. She knew she had to do her part to stop the spread.
Andrew held her hand the whole time, he says.
“Her friends and my father tried to talk her into it, but she wouldn’t,” he says. “I decided to use this special birthday wish.”
Knowing that she is on her way to full protection means he can breathe a little easier, he says.
“I’m happy to know that everyone is a little safer,” says Andrew, who has already received his vaccine. “It will help us get back to normal where everyone wants to be.”
Brundidge is now encouraging others to have the chance. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz joined her at the pharmacy to reinforce her message.
Walz said Brundidge gave him homework: reading up on the reasons for the hesitation in the black community.
“This delta variant is not your alpha variant. This is more dangerous, more contagious and you are exactly right: it has a disproportionate impact on communities of color, especially black communities, “he said.
“Thank you,” he said to Brundidge. “That is really bold.”
WebMD health news
swell
The Journal of Pain, “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Pain: Causes and Consequences of Unequal Care.”
NIH.gov.
CDC: “Vital Signs: Pregnancy-Related Deaths, United States, 2011-2015, and Strategies for Prevention, 13 States, 2013-2017,” “Risk of COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalization, and Death by Race / Ethnicity,” “Demographics of Individuals Receiving COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States. “
© 2021 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
Comments are closed.