Two-time heart transplant recipient Robbie Thompson has had a lifetime of dealing with adversity.
The COVID-19 pandemic is something completely different for the Courtenay, B.C. resident.
As an organ transplant recipient, Thompson is immuno-compromised. His compromised immune system is a byproduct of the medication he takes to stay alive. And when he reads or hears about rallies such as the protests organized throughout the province on Sept. 1, he finds it particularly upsetting.
| A large crowd of mostly unmasked protesters gathered at the B.C. Legislature to protest public health measures on Sept. 1. (Don Denton/VicNews)l |
“I’ve heard a lot of people speaking out against the vaccines, for a variety of reasons that are their own, and we all have our own opinions, and that in itself is fine,” he said. “However, the (protests) that are taking place… I feel that although it may be well-meaning, is also potentially very dangerous, not just for people like myself… but people who are older, or medically unable to get the vaccine.
“The reason we commit to these vaccinations is not only to help ourselves, but also to help protect and better the lives of millions of other people across our community, the country, and the world at large.”
Look at the bigger picture
He said that while he understands the frustration people have regarding the concept of mass vaccinations, he asks everyone to look at the larger picture.
“When they talk about the tyranny of mass vaccinations, would they say that to somebody from India, where they had to burn bodies in the street because so many people had died? I understand the sentiment, and I wish to respect others’ opinions, but I feel that as a medically frail person, it feels a little disregarding of others and the situation at large. I don’t expect people to understand what I have been through, and I am not looking for pity. I just ask for empathy - asking others to protect those around them as well as themselves.
“There is a level where autonomy becomes destructive to everyone else, and I think that we can have a healthy balance between wanting that autonomy and respecting the livelihoods and the well-being of everyone else in our communities.”
Thompson said his situation is precarious, in that he cannot be sure how his body would react to a COVID-19 infection.
“There are some cases that I have heard of in which (transplant recipients) have survived, but it’s really a dice roll as far as I am aware,” he said. “It’s a little scary, because if someone coughs on me, I genuinely don’t know if that’s going to be the end of me. I’ve had to deal with that my whole life but it’s a little heavier now. I hardly leave my house these days, because if I were to go and get groceries and someone coughs on me, that could be it.
“It’s kind of like I am being forced to play Russian roulette, and everyone else has their finger on the trigger. People who refuse vaccines and refuse masks, they sometimes pull the trigger, and they sometimes load the bullets. It’s a bit of a dramatic metaphor but that’s what it can feel like.”
Tina Robinson, manager of communications for BC Transplant, explained the efficacy of the COVID vaccines among transplant recipients may not be as high as with others, which is one reason transplant recipients must be extra cautious, even after being fully vaccinated.
“There is evidence that transplant recipients, who are immunosuppressed, have less immune response to the COVID-19 vaccines available in B.C.,” she said.
RELATED: Courtenay athlete celebrates 20th anniversary of heart transplant
terry.farrell@blackpress.ca
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