Thank the Lord, my oncologist has agreed that we can continue chemotherapy, while actively managing my other condition. But I am now praying for all those who are clinically extremely vulnerable or immunosuppressed, for whom the 19th of July is the complete opposite of Freedom day.
As Covid spreads rapidly throughout the UK, and restrictions are relaxed, even the minor freedoms enjoyed by the most vulnerable will become an impossibility.
Government advice to people in this category stops short of advocating complete shielding (although the term is still used in the letter I received last week) but the official line on the government website is that we should not come into contact with anyone who has not had the double vaccine - still a significant a third of the population and how do tell them apart on a bus or train?
It is also recommended that we limit our social contact beyond family, avoid large groups of people (so attending church is still a no go). If possible we are also to continue working from home and, while the government website stops short of saying not to go to shops, my letter did suggest that I may be safer shopping online.
I have heard people argue that the rest of the population cannot be held hostage by the 3.5 million clinically extremely vulnerable and immunosuppressed. We are the inconvenient truth that everyone who is eager to get back to normality would prefer to forget (even Boris in last week's press conference failed to outline what Freedom Day means for this group).
I can’t speak for everyone who categorizes as clinically extremely vulnerable, but after a lengthy discussion with Macmillan's support team, what I now understand is that, even if double vaccinated, those undergoing active chemotherapy and others with certain blood cancers are likely to have significantly reduced immunity to Covid. For some, that means that the lack of freedom will continue as long as Covid continues to circulate in society.
As a result, the irresponsible actions of this government could mean years of continued isolation for a proportion of society. And even for those who will eventually finish chemotherapy, like myself, it is still unclear whether a booster vaccine will provide sufficient protection to form a route out of ‘ shielding’.
So as the relaxation of restrictions spell the ends of freedom for 3.5 million people, my plea to all those who have railed against the wearing of masks and vaccines as infringements of their civil liberties to get things in perspective. And recognize that if they choose to act with abandon now that they are literally stripping the vulnerable of far greater civil liberties such as the basic requirements of life - such as human contact and going shopping for food - for the foreseeable future as Covid becomes endemic.
My prayer is that everyone will take up the vaccine, continue to wear masks in crowded indoor places such as shops and on public transport and respect social distance to protect others as well as themselves.
Please be careful, this pandemic is far from over and what some see as infringements are recommended to protect you and those you love and as well as the most vulnerable. And remember Jesus's words in Matthew 25:40, ‘Truly I tell you whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me.'
Kate
Nicholas is a preacher, Christian author, broadcaster and consultant. Her
best-selling memoir S ea Changed
(shortlisted as Christian Biography of the Year 2017) is an account of her unconventional journey
of faith and previous healing from advanced cancer.
Kate has gone on to share her
message of hope through her TV series on premiere Christian TV channel TBN Living
a Transformed Life
, speaking events, online courses and Bible studies
including Sea Changed: A Companion Guide
for individuals and groups
which helps people to see how God uses all the circumstances of their lives to
transform them.
Her latest book, Soul’s Scribe:
Connecting Your Story With God’s Narrative
,
draws on scripture,
philosophy, psychology and over 20 years’ of reflection as a Christian
communicator to take you on a journey through the various chapters of your soul
story, providing you with the tools to share that story in a way that will
inspire and encourage others.
Subscribe to Kate’s blogto follow her latest healing journey and her reflections on faith and cancer.
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