Colin Powell died yesterday. I had no idea he was 84. While I realize he was the first black Secretary of State and served with George W. Bush, he was also an army General. Now, the Bush regime could take up this entire article by itself, but that isn’t really why I’m here. Some could see Powell as an honorable man, a man who served his country for decades and stood up for what he thought was right (Iraq War, anyone). He lived a full life, better than what many of us will ever live.
Unfortunately, he died from complications of Covid-19. It is very rare for a fully vaccinated person to die from Covid. This is the what the anti-vaxxers have been waiting for. He apparently was dealing with a cancer, Multiple Myeloma. Unfortunately, I have heard of it before. He also had Parkinson’s Disease. Which is why we still say how important getting the vaccine is and which is real reason I wrote this post.
Every other article out there will give you the rundown of his life. The information is out there. He has written numerous books about his life and work. There is no real reason for me to here and add to it. What I want to do is still explain why I am so adamant about the Covid-19 Vaccine and any other vaccine that is out there.
In 2020, an estimated 1,806,590 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and 606,520 people will die from the disease. Now look at those numbers. That is one year. The same number is happening with Covid. The difference is, while you can lower your chance of getting cancer through lifestyle and environment, you can completely avoid getting Covid all together. We’re still here fighting this over 20 months later, but masks work and the vaccines work. The problem with this story is Mr. Powell had 3 knocks against him before he even got covid. This is what we have been explaining for well over a year now. Yes, we are vaccinated to lower our risk, but those with already compromised immune systems have to be extra cautious.
This is the type of thing that worries me about having gatherings and events. I don’t think many people understand my hesitation though. My immediate family will go another year without having Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am immuno compromised, as I have stated in previous posts. I have an Auto Immune disease called Auto Immune Hepatitis. Its basically a form of Lupus except it only attacks my liver and not all organs like Lupus. I also have a parent who is going through treatments for Kidney Cancer. The second time. I can discuss more about both of these in future, if anyone is interested!
The point I am trying to make today is for someone like me or my parent, the vaccine could potentially be a lifesaver for us, but we also don’t want to risk what is unnecessary like getting sick at all. There are precautions to avoid getting sick and if I can avoid it, I will. Honestly, I don’t feel comfortable around those who are still vaccinated because many think you won’t catch covid at all. I don’t trust people and how they live their life, so I will continue to stay home until further notice. Now, Colin Powell was a different type of person. He probably couldn’t just stay home, but there is a risk for us to be out amongst the masses. Vaccination will not only help people like me, but those who are vaccinated have a lower risk of spreading it. That could help tremendously with this battle.
My point is that yes, Colin Powell died while being fully vaccinated, but his cancer diagnosis put him at a higher risk to catch it and die from covid. He also had Parkinson’s Disease and was 84. That is a trifecta and I’m sorry he didn’t survive, moreso, I’m sorry he caught covid in the first place. I would hope people don’t look at this as a knock against the vaccine, because it has saved many people, but who am I kidding. There are people who still believe trump won…
