How many times in the last 8, 9, 48 months have we looked up to the heavens and asked, Who will save us? Who will send relief in whatever form relief might take? Monetary relief or emotional relief, or even the former as a form of the latter? Congress is kicking rocks. The president is perfecting his long game. Turns out, the person who will save us is Dolly Parton. It was always going to be Dolly Parton. 

To understand why, one must leave the plague-ridden present and go back to a car accident she got in a long time ago. Seems like a bad thing, sure, and maybe it was, but then Parton sought medical advice at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in her home state of Tennessee, where she met Naji Abumrad, MD and professor of surgery. They became friends. He happened to be the father of niche-famous Radiolab podcaster Jad Abumrad, who eventually released a highly enjoyable podcast in part inspired by that friendship. The friendship also led to the invention of a vaccine with 94.5% success rate in early studies. That is, when COVID hit, Parton donated a generous chunk of change to Vanderbilt in honor of Naji Abumrad. Vanderbilt, for its part, then contributed to the research that produced Moderna. 

“Dolly’s amazing generosity is a source of inspiration and will have a lasting impact on the battle against COVID-19,” Jeff Balser, the dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said back in April when Parton bequeathed her fortunes upon them. “She cares so much about helping others and we are very grateful for her ongoing support. These funds will help us complete promising research that can benefit millions in their battle with the virus.”     

Now, of course, this wasn’t an individual accomplishment. In fact what’s so amazing about the race for a vaccine is that it has taken a vast pool of different people with different expertise at different organizations in different parts of the country working in concert to achieve what they have done. No one person can take credit, not even Parton, the woman who has said she wrote “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” in the same day. She simply contributed funding to the research team that eventually led to the Moderna vaccine’s creation. 

But it’s another point in Parton’s favor, as if she needed one more. When all this nasty business is over, it’s straight to Dollywood for all of us. 

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