Getting vaccinated while still grieving COVID loss

When Tampa's Barbara Thomas signed up to get her COVID-19 vaccine, she didn't think she'd be getting the shot six days after the virus killed her husband, Larry.

Why it matters: Her story is similarly playing out for hundreds of thousands of families nationwide who can never truly have a return to normal without those lost during the pandemic.

What happened: When 68-year-old Larry walked himself into the hospital on Jan. 3, Barbara, 69, didn't think it would be their last goodbye. "I just never knew that when I saw him go around that corner, I would never see him again," she told Selene.

• She talked to her husband on the phone for the last time on Jan. 10. When she asked what he would do for her birthday the next day, he said he would call.
• But he never did. His condition worsened, and Thomas spent the first birthday in their 37-year marriage without him. She spent Valentine's Day without him too — the same day she got her second vaccine dose.

What she misses: Every weekend for almost four decades, their home would fill with the smells of breakfast as he cooked for her.

• Now, Barbara's family has to make sure she eats:

"Today, I went to my daughter's house for dinner and it just seemed like he should have been there. ... I had to take a picture alone because he wasn't there to take a picture with me.

"There are moments where I haven't let him go ... it's like he's still here. He's just not in the room with me right now. I guess I'm just not ready to let him go."

What's next: Barbara wishes she and Larry could have gotten their shots sooner, together. It's painful for her to see people celebrating their vaccinations or recoveries, but she's trying not to sit in her anger.

• She wants people to continue taking precautions and getting their vaccines for one another:

"I just want everybody to feel enough love for each other that we keep each other safe. When I'm wearing my mask, I'm not wearing it for me, I'm wearing it for you."

This story first appeared in the Axios Tampa Bay newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard.

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