Dan’s Story (Pneumonia)

I am an immunocompromised person who has neurosarcoidosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system. The treatment for that disease included medications that suppressed my immune system. In the summer of 2021, I contracted pneumonia, which required 13 days in the hospital–5 of which were in the intensive care unit (ICU) where I was sedated and intubated while the doctors figured out a treatment that could beat back the disease. I nearly died.

I was vaccinated for pneumonia, but I was not able to secure the latest version of the pneumococcal vaccine at the time.

People need to be vaccinated and be alert to the latest versions. Although my vaccination did not prevent me from getting the disease, I did not die, and it is possible the vaccine prevented a worse outcome.

If more people around me had been vaccinated, I might have avoided the disease entirely.

If you have questions about vaccines, talk with a trusted healthcare professional. Vaccination helps save lives. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for your family and your community.