Dolly Parton reflects on donating for Moderna's COVID vaccine, says she was 'happy' to help
Aug 19, 2021
Washington [US], August 19 : Legendary country singer and humanitarian Dolly Parton recently made a humble reference about her donation of USD 1 million to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, as a "small part" in Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine development, which today is one of the three groundbreaking vaccines being used in the US.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, during an interview with a UK based radio channel, the ace singer revealed that though she had previously donated to the hospital for different causes such as cancer research, she wanted to lend her support to another critical issue.
Parton explained, "When the pandemic came out I just felt kind of led to do something because I knew something bad was on the rise and I just wanted to kind of help with that."
The music legend said she played just a "small part" in the development of the Moderna vaccine, which is shown to be highly effective in preventing severe illness or death from COVID-19.
Calling the kind act an example of her following her heart, she continued, "Mine was a small part, of course. I probably get a lot more credit than I deserve. I was happy to be a part of that and to be able to try to stop something in its tracks that's really become just such a monster for all of us," adding further, Parton said, "My heart just kind of leads me into where I'm supposed go and what I'm supposed to do at the time."
Last year, Parton announced her contribution on her Instagram page. At the time, she wrote, "My longtime friend Dr Naji Abumrad, who's been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements toward research of the coronavirus for a cure."
After confirming she made a donation, she encouraged others to do the same. Parton has been listed by the New England Journal of Medicine as one of the sponsors of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.
Once the vaccine was available to her age group in March 2021, Parton got her first dose of the Moderna vaccine and urged others to sign up.
She posted a photo of her receiving the vaccine, along with a video of her singing a rendition of her hit song 'Jolene', with new lyrics that encouraged the public to get the vaccine. She ended the video cheering, "I did it!"
