BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Twelve-year Red Cross volunteer Laura Minnicks was at first skeptical about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, but one touching moment with a man who received his shot changed her mind. 

“He started crying, and I asked him, 'are you OK? Whats wrong?'" said Minnicks. "Then he said, 'I am so thankful to get this vaccine. My wife and I have been held captive in our house since last March, and we haven't seen our children or our grandchildren, and we are just so thankful to be here.”

The Medical Center in Bowling Green.

That powerful moment prompted Minncks to put her doubts aside, and she decided to get the vaccine. 

"That moment really humbled me and made me feel really selfish," said Minnicks. "So the next week, I got my first shot, and now I am fully vaccinated."

Med Center Health Vice President Melinda Joyce also knows the power of these stories.

“I really think those true life stories make such a difference in helping people understand that this vaccine is safe, it’s effective, and it’s the way we can get back to normal,” said Joyce.

Minnicks now not only registers patients during her volunteer hours but also advocates for everyone to get the vaccine. 

She says she is in great health and felt no side effects at all.

More information about the vaccines at Med Center Health is available online.