I Am NOT Going to Die of Yellow Fever

Here’s a little story for ya!

Back in September I started looking into all the vaccines I was going to need for my trip. I discovered that the most import one I was going to need was the yellow fever vaccine because it is required for entry into multiple countries that I am going to. I wasn’t super worried about any vaccines because I already had quite a few of them from clinicals and other mission trips. AND if you are anything like me you don’t think there’s a need to worry because you had NO IDEA that there’s a shortage of the yellow fever vaccine right now and that it becomes harder and harder to get every single day.

As I was talking to a Walgreen’s Pharmacy representative over the phone about the vaccinations I have already gotten there before, I mentioned the yellow fever vaccine and she very casually suggested the location on Rock Prairie will have it. No mention whatsoever of how the world’s supply of yellow fever vaccine is quickly depleting and I needed to get yesterday. So I went on thinking it would be no problem to get my vaccines after I went to training camp in October. Well that whole idea changed at training camp when they asked in one of our sessions who has had trouble getting the yellow fever vaccine and 80% of the people there raised their hands. I soon came to find out that I needed to find a place that had the vaccine and get it ASAP when I got home.

When I returned to Texas I started off by calling every single Walgreen’s, Kroger, HEB, CVS, and any other pharmacy you can think of in the Bryan/College Station area. NO ONE had it. One lady told me she hasn’t even heard of anyone in the area carrying in over a year. That’s right. OVER A YEAR. I was starting to panic. I started calling places in Conroe, Spring, and Montgomery. Everyone just apologized and referred me to someone else who just apologized and referred me to yet other place. I knew at this point I was going to have to go to Houston, Austin, or San Antonio to get this thing.

As a last resort I called a local travel physician’s office I had gone to before (I know what you might be thinking. Why was that the last resort? Shouldn’t they be the first ones you call? Well, I had already called them and said they didn’t have it. Why did I call them again? I don’t know. I guess I figured I needed an appointment with the guy anyways for all my other traveling health needs.)  So I scheduled an appointment and started praying that he would be able to get it to me somehow. Honestly, in my head I was thinking, “This doctor has the power to order this vaccine from some place in Houston and get it here to me before my December 3^rd deadline.” I went into my appointment with the mind set I was going to convince this guy to give me this vaccine and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Of course, I am not actually that hard core and that is not how our meeting went in the slightest.

We looked online on the CDC website and he saw that it was required for my trip and printed me out a sheet of all the places from Houston to Amarillo that he believed still had the yellow fever vaccine. After that we talked about all the other vaccines and meds I might need for my trip. At the end he started to summarize everything we talked about during our appointment and in the middle of his sentence stopped, said “Hold on.” and just walked right out of the room. I was at a complete loss of what to do or think. I just sat there and waited the few minutes until he got back.

When he walked back in, he sat down and started telling me about how when he found out the factory that made the vaccine was going to stop making it he saved two doses of this vaccine. He gave the first to a patient several months ago and he had one left. At this point I was literally on the edge of my seat. I asked him if he was kidding and he assured me he was completely serious. He told me that he wanted to give his last dose of the yellow fever vaccine to me because he felt like I was a “worthy cause.” WHAT??? I started crying right there in his office. Like tears streaming down my face. I couldn’t hold it in. As the nurse came in to give me the shot he informed me that this was THE VERY LAST yellow fever vaccine in Brazos County. WHAT?!?!?!

This could only be God. How amazing is He? He knows exactly what you need before it’s even a thought in your brain. He promises to take care of you and provide for you the things you need to be able to obey Him. I really just wanted to share this story because it was so clearly a God thing. This would not have been able to happen without Him and his power and goodness.

I want to encourage y’all to think about a couple things. How have you seen God provide for you recently? How have you seen God’s goodness lately? It’s important to recognize these things so that we can praise Him and glorify Him.

God is always up to something that we don’t know about. Don’t forget that.

And because of this truth I AM NOT GOING TO DIE OF YELLOW FEVER.