Sheridan Nygaard

And that was early in 2020. And I felt that sacrifice was necessary for other people's health and safety. And I will stand by that. But I did lose something there. Six months later, my grandma was diagnosed with COVID. And due to certain political pundits or talking points, The majority of my family did not think that COVID was serious enough to go visit her and say goodbye.

I was the only family member that went and said goodbye to my grandmother on her deathbed. I was not able to enter the building. I was saying goodbye through a window. She called me and she told me... What the hell are you doing out there? Get in here. It's cold out there, Sheridan. What are you doing out there? You're going to catch a cold. You might catch this COVID or something.

I was the only family member that went and said goodbye to my grandmother on her deathbed. I was not able to enter the building. I was saying goodbye through a window. She called me and she told me... What the hell are you doing out there? Get in here. It's cold out there, Sheridan. What are you doing out there? You're going to catch a cold. You might catch this COVID or something.

She was very delirious at this point. Her lungs were failing. Her cardiovascular system was failing. It was devastating. I could not go and give her a hug to say goodbye. I was the only family member that ever said anything to her. She ended up dying later that night in a room with... This is such a small world.

She was very delirious at this point. Her lungs were failing. Her cardiovascular system was failing. It was devastating. I could not go and give her a hug to say goodbye. I was the only family member that ever said anything to her. She ended up dying later that night in a room with... This is such a small world.

One of my good friends that I graduated high school with, her grandma was the other person in the room. They died together, holding hands, talking about their grandchildren. And I'm getting choked up right now, but she was a week away from getting vaccinated. And I do believe that if she had been vaccinated, things maybe would have gone differently. So...

One of my good friends that I graduated high school with, her grandma was the other person in the room. They died together, holding hands, talking about their grandchildren. And I'm getting choked up right now, but she was a week away from getting vaccinated. And I do believe that if she had been vaccinated, things maybe would have gone differently. So...

I, as her grandchild, as a public health professional, I think it is my duty to get vaccinated for any communicable illness, anything that can keep myself safe, my community safe. And it's really an act of love and it's an act of service. And I just wish that more people saw it as that. And I understand that we live in an individualistic society.

I, as her grandchild, as a public health professional, I think it is my duty to get vaccinated for any communicable illness, anything that can keep myself safe, my community safe. And it's really an act of love and it's an act of service. And I just wish that more people saw it as that. And I understand that we live in an individualistic society.

It's hard to think about the community when you're thinking about your own pain and suffering, getting a shot. But I just think about other folks that lost more than just their grandma, that lost their moms, their kids. There was so much loss.

It's hard to think about the community when you're thinking about your own pain and suffering, getting a shot. But I just think about other folks that lost more than just their grandma, that lost their moms, their kids. There was so much loss.

And if I can do one thing to prevent that from happening in my community, I'll get the shot and I'll get the shot again and I'll get it again and I'll get it again and I'll continue to do it. So that's just my little personal story.

And if I can do one thing to prevent that from happening in my community, I'll get the shot and I'll get the shot again and I'll get it again and I'll get it again and I'll continue to do it. So that's just my little personal story.

Yeah, just going back to talking about getting introduced to this topic earlier on. I was born and raised in Minnesota. I went through the public school system here. My first introduction to Indigenous struggles, Indigenous people in general, was in sixth grade in a Minnesota history class. I will, I hate to say this, I will say it was pretty whitewashed.

Yeah, just going back to talking about getting introduced to this topic earlier on. I was born and raised in Minnesota. I went through the public school system here. My first introduction to Indigenous struggles, Indigenous people in general, was in sixth grade in a Minnesota history class. I will, I hate to say this, I will say it was pretty whitewashed.

It was very watered down from what I have sensed unpacked and learned from the community. And I would just like to share a few things that got me involved in the community a little bit more in case this would help other people. Indigenous Peoples Day is coming up October 14th, 2024. Great time to check in with the community.

It was very watered down from what I have sensed unpacked and learned from the community. And I would just like to share a few things that got me involved in the community a little bit more in case this would help other people. Indigenous Peoples Day is coming up October 14th, 2024. Great time to check in with the community.

Great time to check in with the people around you about what they know, what they don't know. where they can get connected with resources and people more. So great day to just start exploring and unpacking. I, last year, found a great reading list of, I think it was like 15 different books that I, I mean, I ended up reading seven of them and every single one of them was great.

Great time to check in with the people around you about what they know, what they don't know. where they can get connected with resources and people more. So great day to just start exploring and unpacking. I, last year, found a great reading list of, I think it was like 15 different books that I, I mean, I ended up reading seven of them and every single one of them was great.

So you'll find a lot of resources that day. You'll find a lot of things being shared around, you know, on Instagram stories, Facebook, Instagram, dig into it, click in, read, do your own research, like really engage with some of these sources, resources that people are putting out there because it takes a lot of effort to put this stuff out there. Give it a, give it a listen, give it a read.