Health

Parents of medically-vulnerable children hope to get COVID-19 vaccine earlier than planned

BOSTON — Ten months ago, Samantha Saperstein gave birth to her son Mason the same day Massachusetts shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mason was born with Treacher Collins syndrome.

“It’s a malformation of the facial bones, it can range from very mild to very severe,” said Saperstein.

She says her son relies on a G-tube for feeding, and he has a trach for breathing.

“I mean if it rips out, we have seconds to basically get it back in or get a new trach in,” said Saperstein.

That’s why Mason needs to be watched 24/7, in case his trach gets blocked.

“So that device helps our little man breathe because his airway is too narrow to breathe on his own, he also has a cleft palette, so he’s missing 85 percent of the roof of his mouth,” said Saperstein.

Saperstein and her husband were trained to give their son specialized care at home.

They also rely on nurses to come help Mason while they get some sleep.

So now that those home healthcare workers will soon get the COVID-19 vaccine under Phase 1, Saperstein wonders why they, as parents, can’t get the shot too.

“If something happens, if we get sick, the nurses might not want to come into the home just because they could expose their own families,” said Saperstein. “So what could happen to my son if we can’t care for him if we get COVID?”

Saperstein has reached out to state leaders, hoping parents with high risk children will be bumped up on the list to get the COVID vaccine earlier than planned.

“A situation with a medically complex child that before the pandemic was already isolating and hard has become ten times more difficult in this pandemic,” said Saperstein. “So all we’re asking for is some peace of mind and to get the vaccine right alongside the home healthcare workers who do the same job that we do as his parents.”

New Hampshire is already allowing family members of medically vulnerable children to get the vaccine in Phase 1, and Saperstein hopes Massachusetts will do the same.

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