CERES, Calif. — A small bottle of hand sanitizer in the front coat pocket was the norm for Kevin Wise even before the coronavirus pandemic.
He was cautious of his surroundings and social distancing before people were even using the term; they were some small lifestyle quirks that he picked up nearly 10 years ago in the fight of his life.
“I can tell you being a cancer patient and going through chemotherapy for quite some time, I’ve always been very cautious of my surroundings and where I go,” Wise said.
Wise beat cancer not just once but twice in the past decade. Originally diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2011, he got to work fighting back against the disease undergoing a bone marrow transplant and three years of chemotherapy.
He was forced into rematch against the disease after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2015 and got another bone marrow transplant in 2016. Since then, he's been in full remission.
When the word spread about a deadly virus that could impact the immuno-compromised, Wise put all the habits he built over the years to work and even temporarily worked from home while serving as Fire Chief for the City of Ceres.
Despite some unknowns with the vaccine, he's known for some time that he was going to get the vaccine and help put an end to the pandemic.
“That’s one of the reasons I was looking forward to the vaccine is to feel a little bit more comfortable," he said. "Time will tell how well it’s going to work and, you know if we can get back to somewhat living normally again.”
His decision didn't come without some research. He used resources like the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, his personal doctor, the CDC and more.
"For me personally, I was concerned about my health," he said. I’m very healthy, but with my past, I was little concerned. I’ve been looking forward to the vaccine for quite some time.”
He got his first shot from Emanuel Medical Center in December and his booster shot on Jan. 12. Even with his medical history, he said that's he's experienced no side effects, and, as a fire chief, he's been trying to set an example for others.
“With my background and my medical history, I’m just trying to show that it's OK, and I’m living proof that, at least within my case, I’ve had no side effects,” he said.
However, he understands that not everyone shares his enthusiasm for the vaccine. He said roughly half of his firefighters still have hesitations about getting it.
“I would say it’s 50/50 right now in our fire department," Wise said. "I don’t think 50% of our guys, our firefighters, are against vaccinations. They do have those concerns (about how fast it came out), and they are holding back a little bit right now. It’s been offered to them, but they’re holding back kind of seeing how things are going with it.”
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COVID-19 sickened 10 Ceres firefighters out of a team of 33 personnel over the course of the pandemic, even with health protocols in place. Despite those figures and the impact on staffing, Wise said taking the vaccine won't be mandatory for the department, although he is recommending it.
“They need to make those decisions for themselves, and we weren’t going to force anybody to take the vaccine,” he said.
While the decision to vaccinate was a simple one for him, he's hoping his story can offer a bit of comfort to others as they make their own decision.
“What I tell everybody is make a decision for yourself… it’s not only for yourself but it’s also for your family. Because now, the chances are less that I get COVID, but also the chances are now less that I’m going to give it to somebody,” Wise said.
“Let’s hope. Let’s really, really hope that this vaccine and the different vaccines that are out there are successful and we can start moving on with our lives and put COVID behind us,” he added.
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