Lollis playing crash cymbals, chimes, and glockenspiel at a concert.
Photo Credit: Karen Lollis
One Vaccine Advocate Sharing her Story to Help Others
Karen Lollis
Karen Lollis relies on other people to keep her safe. Her life changed forever in 2024 after being diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer called multiple myeloma. As part of her treatment, she completed a stem cell transplant, which replaced damaged blood cells with healthy ones. However, the transplant also erased life-saving antibodies from all the vaccines she received throughout her life, even as a child.
“It’s such a startling thing to realize that even though I’ve had all my vaccines, I no longer get the benefit of that experience,” said the Oregon mother of two.
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Lollis and her husband celebrating the holidays. Photo credit: Karen Lollis
She is undergoing chemotherapy and will likely have to continue this treatment for the rest of her life. While this prevents the cancer from spreading, it also makes her immune system more vulnerable and prevents her from getting vaccinated against deadly diseases she was once protected from, including polio, tetanus and measles.
Since Lollis has lost protection from these diseases, her safety hinges on “herd immunity,” when enough people are immune to a disease that the infection is unlikely to spread from one person to another. If everyone in her community got vaccinated against the diseases that put her life at risk she would have a natural safeguard against them, but she said current trends make her fearful of losing this protection.
“My community at large is at risk of falling under the threshold for herd immunity for diseases like whooping cough and measles, which can be deadly for me,” she said, noting the current spread of measles across the U.S. “It’s frustrating when I see people voluntarily not getting their vaccines when those of us who need them can’t get them.”
She also noted that many people are not aware of the number of immune-compromised community members who rely on others to keep them healthy.
Photo Credit: Karen Lollis
“It’s eye-opening to people to realize that it’s not just infants waiting for their vaccines,” she said. “I look healthy, I’m in good shape and my hair has grown back, I don’t look like a cancer patient. You just don’t know who around you is vulnerable.”
Lollis has a natural sense of fun and adventure, and says that dealing with cancer has a way of focusing attention on other priorities. She and her husband, who met as teenagers, are working their way through bucket list items that combine their love of music and travel.
“We are going to see the musical Hamilton, take a long overdue trip to Europe, and spend a weekend at a hot springs place in the largest certified Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world, which is here in Oregon,” she said.
Lollis is passionate about helping people understand the critical impact that one person’s health choices can have on others. That’s why she wrote a blog for The Task Force for Global Health’s Voices for Vaccines program, whose online resources she has found helpful. The site’s blogs, podcasts and toolkits help her share crucial vaccine information, she said, which could lower her chances of falling ill.
“We really need everybody who is eligible to get vaccinated to reach that herd immunity level, because there’s a good chunk of people that can’t get immunized,” she said. “I think it’s important for people to realize that it’s more prevalent than they might think, and that we need their support.”