Dylan A. Farinash
May 26, 2021
BEND, Ore. — Cathy Reich has lived here in Bend for the better part of two decades, migrating to Deschutes County after having spent time in Colorado. Reich was born in upstate New York to a father who instilled her with the work ethic she needed to thrive in the workplace at a young age. She has been the lead Client Service Representative for the cardiology department at Summit Health for the past 12 years, having taught herself the skills necessary for her to succeed there. While she likes that people are getting vaccinated, she admits that the initial vaccination push was disheveled at first. “Now I think it’s better, but when the vaccines first came out, it was a struggle,” said Reich, 64. “People were really struggling to find places to get vaccinated, especially older patients, which is who I work with.” She also recommends that those around her get vaccinated because on January 6th, 2021, she lost her father due to complications from COVID. Her father worked long hours in her youth, and they weren’t as close as she would’ve liked as a result but losing him was hard on her. She’s not alone in the efforts to encourage those who can get vaccinated to do so.
Dylan Clemonsis a currently a registered nurse who works at Bend Transitional Care. Wanting to relocate after completing college at what is now Linfield University, and taking part in a pandemic shortened residency at Emmanuel Hospital in Portland, the Pendleton native and his girlfriend, Courtney, made the move to Bend in the summer of 2020. Clemons wishes that some people would be less indifferent towards the vaccine because of his prior experience being enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Linfield, along with his experience at EmmanuelHospital, as well as his experience working at Bend Transitional Care. “I feel like administration is going well with the vaccines,” said Clemons, 22. “However, I always feel like more people could be open-minded and accepting to the idea of receiving the vaccine.” Herd immunity is the goal, but Clemons is skeptical of the United States’ ability to get there based on an article he found. “Recently, a New York Times article was published that stated the United States might never actually reach a herd immunity stage with the COVID vaccine,” said Clemons. “Unfortunately, I can’t force anyone to take it, that’s not what the medical profession is about, so we’d always like to see more people be vaccinated, but you do what you can.”
Gayla Brandow came to Deschutes County from Molalla, Oregon, and has lived in La Pine forthe past four years. She was born in Prineville, but she eventually found herself in Algona, Washington at the age of four, when her father secured a position working at Boeing. She and her family made their way back down to Oregon in 1972 and has resided there since. She was not only able to reestablish herself as an Oregonian, but she was able to thrive there: she was able to go to Clackamas Community College to get her teaching degree, and she participated in AWANA, a longer and more involved iteration of Vacation Bible School. She taught preschool in Mollala, and she wedded the love of her life on June 20th, 1981. She has since retired from teaching, leaving her more time to spend with her grandchildren. She is against herself and othersreceiving the vaccine because of the love she found for Christianity, her belief that life is precious and should be treated as such, and what she feels the vaccination efforts represent. “I choose what I believe because I am an American and this is the Land of the Free,” said Brandow, 64. “I make my own decisions.”
Daniel Brandow was also born in Oregon, having been conceived in Portland. After growing up in West Linn, Brandow decided to follow in his father’s footsteps in military service, so he enlisted in the Army, and was stationed in Germany for two years. After his time in the Army, Brandow went to work for Freightliner, working on their trucks. He would accompany his future wife on a blind date set up by his cousin, and the two will be celebrating 40 years of holy matrimony this June. He, too, has since retired. He is also strongly against the vaccine because of what he feels it represents to him and his beliefs, as well as his respect for life. “My thoughts are sad and sorry for those who got the shots,” said Brandow, 67. “These shots will make 40% of those who got them sterile.” “Strokes increased 400% in the elderly.” Brandow goes to JD Farag, a pastor based in Hawaii, and the two also get information from Rock Harbor Church Prophecy Updates, with physical locations and communities based in California.
Vaccinations have played a part in reducing the spread of the virus, and Kate Brown has announced via press conference and later following up on her verified Twitter account that Deschutes County is among the counties that have vaccinated enough people 16 and up to be placed on a permanent lower-risk status. While the news is encouraging to hear and read, the news regarding the vaccination efforts doesn’t informon the mental scars left by the pandemic. There’s the visible mental scars, like the ones on Reich and Clemons:sore feet, aching muscles, and heavy eyelids after a long day’s work spent consistently moving around. Then there’s the mental scars that very few will get to see; Clemons going home with patients having succumbed to COVID fresh on his mind, Reich privately mourning the loss of her father to COVID, and the Brandows privately dealing with the grief of family members who have suffered moderate to severe side effects from the vaccine.