Brian Kemp, do you believe in unicorns? Not the mythical horse-like creature with a horn in its head but Merriam-Webster’s other definition of a unicorn: “something unusual, rare, or unique.” These types of things do exist but adults with chronic illnesses under 65 who work are not unicorns.
I am a person who has fought chronic disease his entire life and for two decades did so while working a nine to five job away from my house. I still work as a motivational speaker and writer but I’m fortunate to be able to do this from home. There are so many of us still out there who work nine to five jobs outside of our homes and need some sort of protection that only a COVID vaccine provides us. I have a disease called cystic fibrosis and bust my butt every single day to take care of my family. I do this as an adult with a chronic illness but Governor Kemp, one thing is for sure, I am not a unicorn.
Today March 8, 2021, the following groups were added to the list of groups who can receive the COVID vaccine in Georgia: adults with intellectual and development disabilities, their caregivers, and the parents of children with complex medical conditions. The third one to me is glaring. Governor Kemp says parents of those with medical conditions need to get back to work. I agree; however, what about adults with medical conditions who need to get back to work? Do we not exist? Are we unicorns? This is asinine!
For two decades, I did two hours of airway clearance treatments and exercise so I could be in the office as close to 8:30 as I could without an excuse. I would do my treatments during lunch while many of my cohorts were enjoying a nice meal. When the day was over, I’d head home and do my final treatments. Governor Kemp doesn’t seem to believe that someone like me exists. We do…and we deserve the COVID vaccine just as much as any of these other groups.
I received my COVID vaccine but I did it because I was told there was a loophole in the system and that if I went at the end of the day without an appointment that I had a “chance” to get a vaccine though the odds were slim. It worked out but it had nothing to do with my condition. It had to do with the fact that I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. “Luck” is not something those of us with underlying conditions can afford to depend on. I still do two hours of treatments a day, take 40 to 50 pills a day, exercise for two hours a day and still tend to my roles as a husband, a parent, a speaker, a writer, a president of a nonprofit family foundation, and someone who is trying with all of his power to make a difference in the community for those with cystic fibrosis and other chronic conditions.
Governor Kemp, I am not a unicorn. There are a lots of us with chronic conditions who actually have jobs outside of our homes. We exist and we deserve to be vaccinated. You asked us to shelter in place. We did it. You asked us to be patient. We were. You ask us to continue to wait. We can’t! COVID won’t wait for us. We shouldn’t have to wait for it.
I ask you as my governor to add adults under 65 with underlying conditions to the list of people who are eligible to receive COVID vaccines. I also ask you to realize a unicorn is a mythical horse with a horn in its head rather than an adult with a chronic condition under the age of 65 who holds a job. We exist, we need to be vaccinated and we are not going anywhere.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Andy Lipman
#notaunicorn