LIVERPOOL — Like most little kids, Willow Wenham was very excited for her birthday. But beyond the usual cake and presents, Willow was eagerly looking forward to turning 5 for another reason. She wanted to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Wenham family shared Willow’s vaccination journey with the Star-Review.
The Allen Road Elementary kindergartner’s entire school career has been clouded over by COVID. Willow, who lives in Liverpool with her little sister Nora and their parents, Kerrie and David, was still in day care when the world shut down in March 2020.
“In the beginning, we had to get really creative with what to do. I was working full-time at home with two little kids,” said Kerrie, a social worker. “We went through the hurdles of ‘somebody in the class tested positive’ so we had to quarantine.”
Willow spends much of the school day wearing a mask, even during gym class (although North Syracuse students take mask breaks and get fresh air throughout the day). At lunchtime, students are spaced apart and not allowed to share food. So while she’s never seen the “normal” world adults wish to return to, Willow is ready for COVID to be over.
When the news showed footage of people getting vaccinated in late 2020 and early 2021, Willow would point excitedly at the television and shout, “Oh, my God! They’re talking about the COVID shot. They’re getting healthy,” her mom recalled.
After one of her friends received the jab, Willow began to look forward to her fifth birthday in November — the same month the CDC deemed 5- to 11-year-olds eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
“I wanted to be healthy — and no more COVID,” Willow told the Star-Review.
David and Kerrie talked with their daughter about the vaccine before making an appointment at a clinic held at the New York State Fairgrounds.
“[We told her] it’s okay if she cries. It’s okay if she’s scared. It’s important to get the vaccine so she can be healthy and contribute to her community,” Kerrie said.
Willow admitted she was “a little bit” scared to get her shot, but the promise of stickers and chocolate ice cream helped her conquer her fears. Her parents snapped a photo of her proudly sporting a Baby Shark bandage to share with their family and friends.
“The fair had a lot of kid-friendly things,” said Kerrie, adding that Willow also received a coloring book and a certificate commemorating her first dose.
It also helped to see some of her heroes getting the vaccine, Kerrie said. Willow’s class had learned about Veterans Day earlier in November, so when she saw servicemembers in uniform lining up for the vaccine, her eyes lit up.
Three weeks later, Willow received her second dose of the vaccine. (The only downside, the kindergartner reported, was that they gave her a “bad Band-Aid” — a plain bandage instead of a colorful one.) According to her parents, Willow did not have any side effects after either dose.
While Nora, 3, is still not old enough to receive the COVID vaccine, Willow has been sharing her story with her classmates, teachers and family. When asked if she wants her friends to get vaccinated, she replied, “I need them to.”
To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 and older, visit covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/covid-19-vaccines-children-and-adolescents.
