Kenneth and Susan Teague’s story is not unique to most Americans age 65 and older in search of a COVID-19 vaccination.

Kenneth traveled the world as an Air Force security forces specialist, retiring at Patrick Air Force base. After retirement, Kenneth found a second career with Child Protective Services as a child protective investigator, where he met and then married, Susan. Kenneth investigated abuse reports and if necessary, Susan worked with the families to keep the children safe. “I didn’t enjoy the work but I got great satisfaction out of the work and really helped people,” Kenneth said.

Though his work with the Air Force and Child Protective Services, Kenneth has been busy protecting people his entire life, so when COVID hit, he and Susan’s life changed dramatically.

“We’ve pretty much been hermits since April,” Kenneth said of their current social situation. He and Susan rarely venture out of the house, missing family holidays, reunions, and funerals. On occasion, they see close friends under the scrutiny of distance and masks. When the time arrived to get their first COVID-19 vaccination on February 4 from Treasure Coast Community Health (TCCH), they did not hesitate.

“I want to live. I don’t know how else to say it,” Kenneth said, explaining why he and Susan were desperate to get their first vaccination. “We didn’t know what to expect but the [vaccination] system was very well organized. We got through, start to finish, within one hour and that included the 15-minute [observation] time. That was amazing to me,” Kenneth said. The couple experienced minor side effects other than a little arm pain at the injection site and a slight headache; the next day both were back to normal. “It was absolutely no different or worse than a routine flu shot,” Kenneth said.

While they await their second shot, Kenneth is looking forward to a more ordinary future, “We’re still going to use masks and social distance and be more cautious around crowds, but we’re looking forward to more of a somewhat normal life.”

Kenneth offers this advice to those still searching for a vaccine slot, “I found out when I was working that the best say to get things done is through networking.” Use community groups on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, in addition to sharing information with your friends and neighbors.