“Both my great grandparents on my mother’s side were deaf, having survived polio without vaccines at a cost less high than most. I remember learning as a little girl how to sign “I love you” to my great grandmother, Ethel, and it was the only thing I was able to say to her before she passed; an entire wealth of imagination and dreams held back from both of us by a communication barrier and time. Polio is no longer an imminent threat, but Covid 19 is. Give yourself more time to understand the people you love. Get vaccinated and encourage your friends and family to do the same!”