By JOHN KANELIS / johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com
Somewhere on a tray full of little medicine bottles there is a dose of medicine with my name on it.
I’ll find it Friday. It sits in the Department of Veterans Affairs medical complex in south Dallas. I will arrive Friday afternoon to receive the first of two doses of vaccine aimed at preventing me from contracting a disease that has killed more than 400,000 Americans … and could have taken the life of someone with whom I am quite close.
I had received a recorded phone call Wednesday evening. The VA automated voice told me to call a phone number to make an appointment for the vaccine. I did as I was instructed today.
My wife and I have been on a Collin County wait list. I decided to take the VA up on its offer for a vaccine. My wife is still on the list but we remain hopeful that the county will call soon to let her know that her name has been called and she, too, can be protected against the COVID pandemic virus.
I feel the need to speak kindly of the Department of Veterans Affairs. I enrolled in the VA program in Amarillo about six or seven years ago. The care I received at the Thomas Creek Medical Center in Amarillo was exemplary. We moved from the Panhandle to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in 2018 and I transferred my VA care to the Sam Rayburn Medical Center in Bonham. My care continues to be stellar.
I say this because the VA has been panned by some in recent years. I remember, of course, the scandal that rocked the agency during the Obama administration, with veterans dying while awaiting medical attention that required urgent response. We don’t hear of such tragedy these days.
For me, the issue has centered on routine care. I have been fortunate in that I enjoy relatively good health. I have encountered no medical emergencies. I rely on the VA to be my go-to source for medical care.
So, with that I want to declare this small victory in the fight against the pandemic. We still intend to follow the prevention protocols to the letter. This is no time to let up.