Ask the Nurses Podcast Episode 92 With Tara Vafaeenia RN

I'm Tara and I have been a nurse for nearly 12 years, spending the majority of my time at the bedside of ICU patients. I spent almost 6 years with UCLA Health and have always held my profession in the highest regard. I was proud of being a nurse and found it personally rewarding to deliver care to those in need.
During the height of the pandemic, I worked tirelessly as a front-line worker, sacrificing myself physically, emotionally and personally for every patient. I went above and beyond to support UCLA Health's medical staff and did all I could to fill in when the hospital had shifts left uncovered. I was loyal to a fault and put the patients and staff before my well-being on an hourly basis.
Health and well-being are very personal matters and I strongly believe that everyone should have the right to dignity and control over their medical decision making. At this point, I have made the decision to abstain from being vaccinated because of what I believe are well-founded concerns for my personal health and safety. The wholesale censorship, politicization, and retaliation upon anyone who thinks independently and asks questions has gone too far.
I, as well as the silent majority of my colleagues, have recently cared for patients who were admitted with symptoms and conditions that were unable to be categorized. These were not SARS-CoV-2 related problems and, coincidentally, these unusual outcomes often occurred after inoculation with the vaccines.
As an ICU nurse, it's logical to assume I'm going to witness more adverse vaccine reactions than what's typical for the majority of the population. That said, some of these adverse reactions have left me seriously troubled. The hubris of a select few in the medical community to guarantee both the short and long-term safety of the vaccines has been seized by the media and forced upon currently healthy individuals. I do not choose to capitulate to tyranny, threats, and illogical brute force. Additionally, the way inquisitive patients and their family members have been treated any time a vaccine has been questioned has left me seriously disillusioned.
At this point, my stance is for freedom and control over your own health. This is not about Republicans vs Democrats, Liberals vs Conservatives, or Religious vs Non-Religious. This is about liberty and the freedom to make decisions you're comfortable with in relation to your health and your well-being. What I do when it comes to my health is up to me; not the government, not a corporation, and not my employer. I have made the decision to sacrifice my career and livelihood to stand up for what I believe is right. Independent thinking is rapidly being abolished and people are losing the ability to make their own decisions and to speak their own truth.
My strongest drive is creating a future for the next generation that continues to allow them to have freedom and liberty. That allows them to make their own decisions, create their own lives, peak their potential, stand up for what they believe and thrive in the most fulfilling way possible.
Luke 12:2 "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known"
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It has to be fought for and defended by each generation." - Ronald Reagan
Any support or prayer is helpful and greatly appreciated. God bless.
Tara
https://www.instagram.com/tara_vafa/
https://givesendgo.com/nurseforfreedom