NYC Nurse Who Got 1st COVID Vaccine in U.S. Gets Medal of Freedom from President Biden

Sandra Lindsay, the New York City nurse who rolled up her sleeve on live television in December 2020 to receive the first COVID-19 vaccine dose pumped into an arm in the United States, received the highest civilian honor the country can bestow.

"I'm incredibly honored," she said. "I never thought this would be in my future."

President Joe Biden presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Lindsay and 16 others on Thursday.

"She poured her heart into helping patients fight for their lives," Biden said during the ceremony in the East Room of the White House. "Doctors nurture, you nurses make people want to live."

Lindsay, a critical care nurse and head of patient care services at Long Island Jewish Medical Center said her journey to getting the prestigious honor all started because she simply raised her hand.

"I said yes, I put my arm up, I was ready," Lindsay said. "I couldn't wait to get that shot in my arm."

That shot she received more than 18 months ago was seen as a sign of hope around a world that had been darkened by COVID-19.

"I get countless emails and text messages and people see me on the street and coming over to say 'I had made up my mind that I was never going to get vaccinated. And when I saw you on TV and heard you speak, you just inspired me,'" Lindsay said.

Wearing yellow, one of the colors of her native Jamaica, Lindsay has become a tireless advocate for vaccines, mental health and reducing student debt for fellow healthcare workers. After immigrating to the U.S. at age 18, she worked to put herself through nursing school, and she hopes her story will inspire other young women of color.

"I think, you know, representation matters, right? And more black young girls need to see more people like me," she said. "Reminding them that anything is possible."

Those also receiving the honor included gymnast Simone Biles, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and the late John McCain, the Arizona Republican with whom Biden served in the U.S. Senate.

Biden himself is a medal recipient. President Barack Obama honored Biden’s public service as a longtime U.S. senator and vice president by awarding him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2017, a week before they left office.

The honorees who received medals from Biden “have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities, and across the world, while blazing trails for generations to come," the White House said.

The honor is reserved for people who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal public or private endeavors, the White House said.

Biles is the most decorated U.S. gymnast in history, winning 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. She is an outspoken advocate on issues that are very personal to her, including athletes’ mental health, children in foster care and sexual assault victims.

McCain, who died of brain cancer in 2018, spent more than five years in captivity in Vietnam while serving in the U.S. Navy. He later represented Arizona in both houses of Congress and was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. Biden said McCain was a “dear friend” and "a hero.”

The other medal recipients include:

— Denzel Washington. A double Oscar-winning actor, director and producer. He also has a Tony award, two Golden Globes and the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a longtime spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

— Sister Simone Campbell. Campbell is a member of the Sister of Social Service and a former executive director of NETWORK, a Catholic social justice organization. She is an advocate for economic justice, overhauling the U.S. immigration system and health care policy.

— Julieta Garcia. A former president of the University of Texas at Brownsville, Garcia was the first Latina to become a college president, the White House said. She was named one of the nation’s best college presidents by Time magazine.

— Gabrielle Giffords. A former U.S. House member from Arizona, the Democrat founded Giffords, an organization dedicated to ending gun violence. She was shot in the head in January 2011 during a constituent event in Tucson and was gravely wounded.

— Fred Gray. Gray was one of the first Black members of the Alabama Legislature after Reconstruction. He was a prominent civil rights attorney who represented Rosa Parks, the NAACP and Martin Luther King Jr.

— Steve Jobs. Jobs was the co-founder, chief executive and chair of Apple Inc. He died in 2011.

— Father Alexander Karloutsos. Karloutsos is the assistant to Archbishop Demetrios of America. The White House said Karloutsos has counseled several U.S. presidents.

— Khizr Khan. An immigrant from Pakistan, Khan's Army officer son was killed in Iraq. Khan gained national prominence, and became a target of Donald Trump's wrath, after speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

— Diane Nash. A founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Nash organized some of the most important 20th century civil rights campaigns and worked with King.

— Megan Rapinoe. The Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women's World Cup soccer champion captains the OL Reign in the National Women's Soccer League. She is a prominent advocate for gender pay equality, racial justice and LGBTQI+ rights who has appeared at Biden's White House.

— Alan Simpson. The retired U.S. senator from Wyoming served with Biden and has been a prominent advocate for campaign finance reform, responsible governance and marriage equality.

— Richard Trumka. Trumka had been president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO for more than a decade at the time of his August 2021 death. He was a past president of the United Mine Workers.

— Wilma Vaught. A brigadier general, Vaught is one of the most decorated women in U.S. military history, breaking gender barriers as she has risen through the ranks. When Vaught retired in 1985, she was one of only seven female generals in the Armed Forces.

— Raúl Yzaguirre. A civil rights advocate, Yzaguirre was president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza for 30 years. He served as U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic under Obama.