COLORADO, USA — Minutes before his vaccine appointment Wednesday night, Michael Peoples was excited.
“I’m very excited. Anything that can help me have a longer life span, I’m all for it,” Peoples said.
This would be Peoples’ third COVID-19 vaccine. He is higher risk for COVID-19 because he has a compromised immune system, and he hopes a third shot will help better protect him from the virus.
“I was born with polycystic kidney disease,” Peoples said. “I’ve been on dialysis now for 22 years. Because of that, my immune system is low, and extremely sensitive to any type of disease out here. And I don’t want to catch anything.”
Especially not COVID--again.
“I was one of the first patients here in Colorado that contracted COVID," he said. "They had no idea how to treat it. I was on the ventilator for two months. I was not responsive. I thank God I can tell this story to be able to help someone else.”
Peoples made his third vaccine appointment for Wednesday at University of Colorado Hospital. The line, full of other immunocompromised people and early-vaccinated health care workers, moved fairly quickly. The shot, itself, took only a few minutes. The healthcare worker who gave Peoples his shot also gave him a sticker, marking the details of his third shot on his vaccine card.
Peoples is looking forward to more time with his wife, Sheila, and their grandkids. He's also looking forward to, hopefully soon, a kidney donation.
“I’ve been married now for 28 years, happily married for 28 years,” he said with a smile.
He's also getting back to something he loves: performing.
Peoples is a singer who performed for decades before the pandemic. Due to his health and his risk level, he hasn’t been on stage lately, but has been writing new music and fine-tuning his voice after recovering from the virus.
“I would love to perform again. I’m a people person. My last name, People! I like to make people happy. Singing is one of my gifts and I enjoy doing,” he said.
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