Worth the Walk

By Zoe Larson February 17, 2021
90-year-old Fran Goldman walks 6 miles for COVID vaccine

In February, an unusual weather pattern hit the Pacific northwest, leaving Seattle covered in a foot of snow. But that didn’t stop 90-year-old Fran Goldman from getting her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Seattle resident took on the challenge and walked 6 miles round trip in the snow to her long-awaited appointment.

“I have been calling to get an appointment anywhere, every morning, every afternoon and often I’ve been online at night,” Goldman said.  According to the Seattle Times, Goldman’s daughter Ruth and a friend in Arizona, were both constantly making phone calls to help her schedule an appointment. Goldman was finally able to secure a time at the Seattle Children’s hospital and she was determined not to let some unexpected snow get in her way.

The morning before her appointment, snow had already started covering the ground.  Knowing that traveling by car would not be possible, Goldman decided that she would walk the 6-mile round trip journey to the hospital the next day.

“My mother isn’t going to let a little snow stop her from getting the vaccine,” Ruth told the Seattle Times. “She was willing to walk however many miles there and back to get it. She is a really remarkable person who has the attitude of ‘You don’t let a little adversity get in your way.’ She’s someone who looks for solutions, not problems.”

And that is exactly what Fran Goldman did.  She layered up and headed out on her journey to the hospital. Her timing was impeccable. She arrived at the hospital only 5 minutes late, which meant she didn’t have to wait outside in the cold like she would have if she had gotten there too early. “It was not easy going, it was challenging,” Goldman said to the Seattle Times.

But the challenge was worth it.  Goldman has tried to fill her time during the pandemic by taking classes on Zoom and ordering groceries online. Now she is one step closer to her primary goal of being able to see her family and grandchildren again.  “I can’t wait to be able to hold them,” she said. “I just want to feel more comfortable.”