paramedic vaccinates grandparents he hadn't seen for a year
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ottawa paramedic sébastien dubé has vaccinated hundreds of people as part of the city’s vaccination strike team.
on wednesday, he administered the second dose of vaccine to his grandparents, yvon and madeleine dubé, marking the first time he had seen the pair in person since the covid-19 pandemic began last march.
“they knew we were coming, we were all very excited. we opened the door and there was a lot of joyful yelling,” he said.
there are 15 minutes of observation after a vaccine is delivered to ensure there are no side effects. “we had to to stick around and chat, and then it was time to move on. it was a great 15 minutes,” sébastien said.
as a front-line worker, sébastien was considered high-risk and had to limit his interactions with his grandparents to skype for the past year.
“it was surreal,” he said of seeing them in person. “it had become status quo to see them on skype. it was like it always was before, to not have to see them through a screen.”
yvon, who was diagnosed with leukemia in october 2019, said he was overcome at seeing his grandson.
“it was emotional. i cried. i get emotional just thinking about it.”
sébastien began his paramedic career in prescott-russell, then worked in toronto for five years before returning to ottawa about two years ago. he volunteered for the strike team because he saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
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“it has been a cool experience,” he said. “how often does a global pandemic come around when we have access to a vaccine?”
as a paramedic, sébastien has had training in intramuscular injections. the strike team has also had training in how covid-19 vaccines work, reactions and side-effects. part of the team is responsible for diluting the vaccine and drawing the doses into syringes so the doses are ready for other team members to administer.
the city of ottawa completed first doses in all of its 28 long-term care homes on jan. 17, with second doses completed on feb. 5. the first doses at 37 high-risk retirement homes had been delivered on feb. 10. first doses were completed in all 82 designated retirement homes on feb. 23.
“it’s been great. everyone is do excited to get this vaccine. you can feel the buzz when you arrive at the homes,” sébastien said.
“normally, our job is to show up at someone’s house on the worst day of their life. to show up on the best day of their life is great.”
yvon, 88, and madeleine, 87, met at a dance in lowertown when they were teenagers and married six years later. they have four children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild, with another on the way.
yvon was a three-term vanier councillor before municipal amalgamation and spearheaded the start of the murals program that celebrates vanier’s history with outdoor artwork.
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the couple sold their condo and moved to promenade, an east-end retirement home, shortly after yvon’s leukemia diagnosis and just weeks before the first covid-19 lockdown a year ago.
although yvon has a weakened immune system, he has to leave his unit in the retirement home numerous times every month for medical appointments.
getting vaccinated has been a morale-booster, he said.
“having leukemia and knowing you’re susceptible to covid-19 is not a good thought,” he said.
“when i was diagnosed, i was given three months to two years to live. i’m still active and i still drive my car. i have to think the diagnosis was not completely accurate.”
yvon is also hoping to get back to normal — whatever normal will be — as soon as possible.
“i haven’t played bridge in months, except for the computer. i miss the camaraderie. i’m looking forward to giving all my kids and grandkids a hug,” he said.
sébastien is happy that increasing vaccinations will mean fewer outbreaks, but he also knows he will have to continue to socially isolate until public health officials say he can see his grandparents again in person.
“it’s not a free pass.”
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