Heroes Beyond the Mask: Lynna Agado

As told to students in the Long School of Medicine Storytelling Team. “Heroes Beyond the Mask” is a student-created project highlighting San Antonio community members who are stepping up to save lives and keep our community strong during the pandemic.

“I have stepped into the new role of supporting med students and nursing staff for immunizations and intaking calls through the San Antonio epidemiology hotline. Usually, I work as the coordinator for children’s vaccines and the adult safety net. This experience is really different from what I normally do but I am very adaptable so I was quick to pick up the role I was given.

Since we’ve opened the hotlines, things have smoothed out. The first couple of days were kind of chaotic, in terms of the process but there are a lot of unknowns. I’m proud of everybody’s teamwork. Everyone is coming from different departments and organizations but we are all able to collaborate, even when things don’t go as planned. Everybody is doing their part to help.

I think a lot of times what inspires me is seeing people just do good things for one another. The news sometimes has a not so positive effect on others, it’s nice to hear the positive stories of people doing good deeds for one another and being there for one another when you need them. I think that helps me.

I’m not home as much as I thought I would have been but my fiancé and I are working through a 1000 piece puzzle. It’s got way too many similar colors, all greens and blues. It’s laying there on our living room table but we hope we can complete it! To cope with stress, I love to sit outside. I live out by the countryside so I can take a step back and take in the fresh air. On a personal note, I pray; that helps a lot.

Wellness to me encompasses a lot of things, whether it’s making time for yourself, making sure you are sleeping well or staying hydrated. I think wellness can mean different things to different people but to me it’s to do what I can to stay healthy and making sure when times are stressful you can do things to help you step away from what’s happening and absorb.

I hope that once this is over, people will be able to connect with each other in ways they haven’t before. I think what’s happening brings new insight into peoples’ lives.”