This story is by Aurora Lockhart, my second cousin. She is a young woman with unlimited potential in writing. Thanks for your contribution.

“Vaccines have been very important in modern times. In the form of a simple shot, they’ve prevented several diseases and saved countless lives. Without them, our world would be a tad different. 

     Vaccines contain antibodies of the target disease, taken from someone who had to endure the illness and survive until their system defeated it. They had to be strong enough to overcome on their own. But because they held on through it, they lived to potentially cure the very thing they fought, and to help others fighting the same battle. 

     In this shutdown, I’ve come to realize vaccines aren’t always in the form of a shot, nor do they come with needles. Sickness doesn’t always have physical symptoms such as coughing and sneezing. When we suffer something emotionally and are lucky enough to overcome it, what we learn can be like antibodies. We know how it feels, we know what helps and what doesn’t, how we coped, and how we keep the remnants at bay. When we see someone else struggling similarly, we can be properly equipped to help if we’ve learned the lesson. We offer empathy and a shoulder to cry on rather than advice that may not work because we don’t truly understand. 

     Our suffering can be for someone else’s good, if we allow it to be. It may hurt, and we may never truly, fully heal, but your suffering neighbor will appreciate your support all the more.”

-Aurora Lockhart