Maryland grandmother Shirley Donaldson used to see her grandson almost every day. She took care of him from the time he was three months old until he went off to school.
But she hadn’t seen him for more than a year because of the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 90-year-old enjoyed a sweet reunion with her grandson on Tuesday — when he gave her a COVID-19 vaccine.
Mike Rechen, 28, works as an EMT with the Montgomery County fire department. His grandmother said she was elated to see him at a vaccine site at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
“I said, ‘Hi, I love you.’ He just gave me a hug,” she said.
Rechen has administered hundreds of vaccines, but he said his hands shook when his own grandmother was his patient.
“It’s been hard. It’s been really hard,” Donaldson said about not getting to see Rechen or other family members for so long.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Once the entire family can be together again, they plan to celebrate.
“We’ll celebrate my 90 years and all the times we missed,” Donaldson said.
