Recovered from COVID-19, Saginaw man to organize free ‘Taco Tuesday’ event offering vaccinations, testing

SAGINAW, MI — Chuckie Lawrence wants others to learn from his mistake. While enjoying tacos.

The 53-year-old said he faced near-death circumstances last month after a vicious bout with the COVID-19 virus.

Now recovered and motivated to keep others healthy, he plans to coordinate a “Taco Tuesday” gathering where residents can receive free COVID-19 testing and vaccines.

The event is scheduled Tuesday, Aug. 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, 3121 Sheridan in Saginaw.

The first 250 people who seek a COVID-19 test or vaccine there will receive a free taco meal, he said.

Great Lakes Bay Health Centers health care professionals will provide the medical support there.

Lawrence said he hopes the gathering entices people hesitating to seek vaccination. As recently as July, he counted himself among that group, and nearly paid for it with his life, Lawrence said.

“I was one of those guys, sitting around saying, ‘Let me see what happens to other people taking the vaccine,’” said Lawrence, a commercial truck driver who dabbles in organizing community events.

“I want to say to people who are apprehensive about the shot: You won’t be apprehensive anymore about what they give you if you get COVID first. You’re just hoping whatever the doctor gives you makes you better.”

Lawrence said he felt symptoms in late July, when walking short distances led him to sit down for 20 minutes at a time to catch his breath.

Lawrence said he sought help at Ascension St. Mary’s Health Center in Saginaw Township. There, medical personnel recognized his declining vital signs and sent him immediately to the intensive care unit at the Ascension St. Mary’s campus in Saginaw.

“I spent my first five days there in the ICU and another 10 days in recovery,” said Lawrence, who developed pneumonia there. “That was the scariest five days of my life.”

Lawrence said he signed a “dying declaration,” a document that states a patient gives medical personnel permission to use aggressive treatment in life-saving circumstances.

“The doctor asked me to give them permission to save my life,” he said. “To have that question asked was such a dark and scary position to have to accept.”

Lawrence eventually returned home, but continues to recover. He still utilizes a nasal cannula to provide a steady stream of oxygen to his lungs.

Even in his weakened state, Lawrence remains motivated to prevent family, friends and neighbors from catching the virus.

He addresses his social media audiences regularly with messages advocating people wear protective facemasks, seek vaccination, and get tested regularly even if they experience no symptoms.

A 19-minute Facebook video testimonial about his experience uploaded this week was shared 100 times.

“When you lose your ability to make a choice for yourself, and now you’re in a position of submissiveness, you are not going to question the medications,” he said in the video, coughing and pausing to breathe at times.

“You are not going to question what they ask you to swallow. You’re not going to question every time they push another steroid through one of the IVs in your hand, because the only thing you want to do is get better.”

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