In late March 2020, I came down with a cough. Then came the fever. Then the chills. I thought it was seasonal allergies, but that was not the case — it was COVID-19.
At first, I was a little shocked. This thing was spreading like wildfire across the globe, and the all-too-eager 24-hour news cycle was sounding the alarms. While there was plenty of hyperbole, this much was true — COVID-19 was killing people and those in their sixties, like me, were at greater risk.
I battled COVID-19 for nearly three weeks. It felt like an unknown enemy taking over my body.
The virus had me fighting for my life. I’ve been in firefights, and I know what it means to fight for your life, and I fought.
Through exercise, hot tea, vitamins, healthy foods and prayer, I was blessed to fully recover.
I came down with COVID-19 long before the vaccines were rolled out. I tell my experience with COVID-19 to others who are weighing whether or not to get the vaccine. And I, like so many, had a lot of questions, for many reasons, including a shared historical trepidation with others in the black community.
Politicians, government bureaucrats and the corporate media exposed themselves at every turn as people — of all backgrounds — tried to process the available information to make the best decision for themselves and their families. It hasn’t been easy. It is a personal choice we each need to make on our own.
I made my choice. When vaccines first became available to the Detroit Police Department on January 8th, I didn’t wait, despite likely already having antibodies from my previous COVID experience. I went first to set an example for the rank and file of the police department, as well as for the community as a whole.
Leaders lead from the front. That is what I did as Chief of Police, and that is what I would do as Governor.