I won't lie, doing this was scary! I am needlephobic (thanks evil nurses holding me down weekly at age 5 for some weird shot dealing with a skin condition) and deal with severe anxiety. Walking in the first time I was a mess. Then a power outage took out the system and I had to come back 3 weeks later to try again
. From phase 1 data I had vague ideas what to expect, but as a whole I just tried to have faith in science. I know how it feels to get a call about a loved in in a long term care facility saying to "just pray" knowing you cannot be with them if they die. As soon as I heard there were trials after that I signed up for two I found, as I felt helpless otherwise. I just knew I wanted as few to go through that as possible.
To me anyone would do the same in my shoes. I was lucky to have been called - and even more that it was Pfizer-BioNTech (AstraZeneca/Oxford did call but not until late fall). I do not see myself as a hero - I leave that to first responders and those who tirelessly worked on vaccines and treatments. I see myself as a compassionate person (mostly) who just offered to help.
Also why I get angry. If needlephobic me can get shots and blood draws while getting something rammed up my nose during these 2-4 hour long appointments, most everyone can get a jab and sit for 15 minutes after a time or two