I am pleased to tell you that I had my first vaccine on 27/03/2021. Having cerebral palsy and being classed as clinically vulnerable, it is now so reassuring that I myself have now taken steps to put myself in the best position to fight off any infections I may catch from Covid-19 and possibly other infections over time. To also be able to protect others around me is such a huge relief. I have seen comments from others sceptical about having the vaccine and who are against having it, and I respect your decision, but my mind was made up about getting the vaccine a long time ago. Please respect my freedom of choice. I have now been vaccinated, and I'm happy.
My best advice for others who have cerebral palsy and who have yet to have their vaccination and who may be a little wary about getting it is to don't be scared at all. I felt a tiny scratch in my arm when the nurse went about doing her duty, and she was lovely, very reassuring. After a few quick mandatory questions beforehand, everything was over in a matter of seconds. If you suffer from the type of cerebral palsy where one side of your body is stronger than the other (in my case, my left side is my strongest), get vaccinated in that arm, as I found I had more control, meaning that I could concentrate on relaxing as much as I could, meaning that the experience was a lot easier for myself, and also for the lady doing the vaccination too.
I want to say a huge THANK YOU to our brilliant scientists for coming up with such an efficient vaccine so fast, I would like to thank all of the volunteers and our armed forces for their roles with the vaccine rollout and for making it run so smoothly, and I would like to thank all of the nurses at my local surgery, the North Celynen Practice in Crumlin, South Wales for making my time at the surgery so pleasant, for their efficient planning, and last but not least for the banter we had whilst I was there, I am glad that you enjoyed my sense of humour, lol.
Thank You, NHS,
Gavin