Cal Guard Soldier and her mother celebrate reunion with COVID-19 vaccinations

by Staff Sgt. Kimberly S. Hill
California National Guard Public Affairs

OAKLAND, Calif.—Laughter pours from a red sedan parked in the orange cone littered parking lot at the Oakland Coliseum. The arena, once used to host concerts and sporting events, has turned into a vaccination site, like many larger venues throughout the country.

The young captain’s brown eyes shine as she leans inside the car to adjust her mother’s multicolor shawl draped across her shoulders, careful to avoid displacing the band-aid on her mother’s left arm.

Despite the changes over the past year, families still gather here to celebrate in a different way, rejoicing in their first steps toward the return to normal.

California National Guard Soldier, Jawana McFadden, and her mother are among the many celebrating their first dose of the COVID-19 shot at the Oakland Coliseum, April 30, 2021.

“I realized I hadn’t got my shot yet and my mom hadn’t gotten hers, so we decided to come and do it together,” said U.S. Army Capt. Jawana McFadden, the deputy public affairs officer with the 40th Infantry Division.

After nearly a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, relief is finally in sight. The vaccine is now available to U.S. citizens 16 years of age and up. While many are enthusiastic about getting vaccinated and getting back to normal, the quick roll out has made some hesitant about the inoculation.

For those with reservations, some, like McFadden and her mother Deborah, have chosen to find strength in family and use the vaccine as a bonding experience to not only keep themselves safe, but also their communities, she said.

The Oakland native normally lives in works in Los Angeles. Between the distance between the two cities and the pervasive threat of the coronavirus, McFadden hadn’t seen her family in over a year.

“I was fortunate, I hadn’t seen my mom in a few years due to covid, so it was nice to come down here and support the covid operations and see them,” said McFadden.

When she was called up on orders to return to Oakland with the Cal Guard as the personnel officer at the vaccination site, her mother reached out to her and they both decided to get vaccinated.

“It was really hard for me, but I got to tour the site where my daughter works and when I saw how well-run it was…It was easier to say yes,” said Deborah.

After receiving their first dose, both are optimistic about what the future will bring, with McFadden already making plans with her brother for a special Mother’s Day treat for Deborah, she said.

“When I think about the things that matter most to me, it’s family. I probably wouldn’t have gotten my shot if it wasn’t for her.”