New mom and Society senior pastor gets COVID-19 vaccine

Pastor Christy urges moms to ask their doctor questions about vaccine

New mom and Society senior pastor gets COVID-19 vaccine

Christy Hallenbeck Ask is just a few months into her new job as director of Mission Integration and senior pastor at the Good Samaritan Society.

The 36-year-old is also a new mom.

“I’ve been a mom for just under a year. It is the most profound experience of being connected to another human,” Hallenbeck Ask says.

That “human” is her daughter Anja. In an effort to protect herself and her family during the pandemic, Hallenbeck Ask is making the personal choice to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Get vaccinated: COVID-19 vaccines at Sanford Health

“I am a nursing mom,” she says. “I talked to her pediatrician and he said that this was safe and that it would be safe for my daughter. I did my research and decided this was the right thing.”

Do your research

Medical professionals at the Society and Sanford Health are encouraging breastfeeding moms and pregnant women to get the safe and effective vaccines.

“Part of my call I believe is to do what I can to end this pandemic,” Hallenbeck Ask says.

For moms who might be on the fence about the shot, she urges them to ask questions.

“I get it and yet I urge anyone who is uncertain to do their research. Talk to doctors, to medical experts about this decision. I think they’re going to hear that this is far less risky than getting COVID,” Hallenbeck Ask says.

Feeling hopeful

Choosing to get the vaccine is bringing a lot of hope to Hallenbeck Ask’s home. She’s excited about what it means for her future with her immediate family and the one she serves with at work.

“This is a historic moment for me and my own life. I think decades down the road, I will tell my daughter about this day. It’s also a huge milestone in the life of my calling with Good Sam and the whole world,” she says.

Months spent reaching staff members and residents spiritually on virtual devotions and meetings can now shift to more in-person gatherings thanks to a high number of vaccinations at the Society.

“This is how we end this pandemic. It’s a shot of hope for me and for my family, to think that my little bubble and world is getting just a bit safer, not even just a bit safer, a whole lot safer. I’m also getting to contribute to the hope of the whole world by seeing an end to this pandemic. Hope is the word I hear over and over and over that is palpable in the experience of coming here. It’s an honor to be a part of it,” Pastor Christy says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says COVID-19 vaccines can be offered to pregnant and breastfeeding women. It urges people to talk with their doctors about getting vaccinated.

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Posted In COVID-19, Immunizations, Senior Services