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Ellie Carter’s Story
Now, Ellie can protect her family and continue to volunteer at 88 years old because of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Ellie Carter has been a part of the Warrensburg community since she came for her first job in the business office at the University of Central Missouri. Her favorite memory was being a kindergarten secretary for 13 years at Reese Elementary. She has volunteered at WMMC for 7 years in the gift shop and loves her community, but because of COVID-19 she had to stop volunteering for her safety. After seven heart bypasses and recently a major surgery, she did not want to risk getting the virus.
“I’ve been careful,” Ellie said. “But my three boys are adamant that because I’m high risk – I can’t keep volunteering.”
Ellie can remember when polio hit the United States in the early 1950s. She remembers being fearful of the deadly disease as a young adult.
“I remember being very afraid of polio and knew many people that became crippled and several died,” Ellie said. “I remember the scary part of polio and want to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The vaccine is a preventative measure to protect those that are vulnerable and can keep us from going through that again.”
Ellie said that she loves her life and wanted the COVID-19 vaccine to protect her family. Because of the COVID-19 vaccine, she can return to volunteering at WMMC’s giftshop and looks forward to spending time with her five grandchildren. WMMC relies on the thousands of hours from volunteers like Ellie to help our patients.
Thank you, Ellie, for being a #JOCOMOHero!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Eleanore Eye
Marketing Manager
(660) 262-7472
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About Western Missouri Medical Center
Western Missouri Medical Center (WMMC) is a fully-accredited acute care county medical center located in Warrensburg, MO. WMMC prides itself in emergency care, obstetrics, orthopedic and general surgery, family healthcare, internal medicine, outpatient clinics, ambulatory care, rehabilitation services and more. Inpatient services include medical, surgical, intensive, obstetrical, orthopedic, pediatric and skilled nursing care, as well as a wide range of therapeutic and diagnostic outpatient services. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Learn more at WMMC.com