When vaccines were harder to come by and people sat on waiting lists, Magic Adrian came to the rescue for hundreds of people in Clermont County and beyond.
Though it sounds like one, it's not a folk tale: Adrian Anderson's personal cell phone number was posted in churches, shared among friends and family, displayed in offices and on Facebook.
"I just saved her contact as 'Magic Adrian,' so when I shared the contact with people, that's what it showed up as, and I think it just kind of accidentally and organically took on a life of its own," said Alex Horan-Jacobs, who, like many at the time, was eager to get a COVID-19 vaccine but couldn't get an appointment.
Magic Adrian was his secret weapon; he and anywhere from 200 to 300 people also used her number.
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Anderson is a practice manager at Mercy Health in Clermont and Anderson. During the release of the first doses of vaccine, she took it upon herself to help schedule any and everyone who needed a shot.
"I would call one, and then I would ask the question -- which I probably shouldn't -- is there anyone else you'd like me to schedule?" said Anderson.
More often than not, the answer was yes.
"As soon as the governor would increase the guidelines so that more people could get it, I would receive more calls and I would schedule them for the day that they were eligible," she said.
Others in her office took notice of the extra work Magic Adrian was doing to help their clinic -- from staying late to answering hundreds of calls on her personal cell to scheduling on her laptop on the weekends from home.
"The truth is, anytime anything needs to get done, Adrian makes it happen," said Dr. Brent Kinder, with Mercy Health. "In this case, she realized how important it was, so she literally sacrificed her life for several months to save lives."
Anderson has received thank-you notes, cards and emails from families thrilled she could connect them with a shot that they so desperately needed.
"My friends would tell me, 'I called that number, and I'm going in two days,'" said Horan-Jacobs. "It's like, wow, especially after a year and so of sweating it out. Magical is just kind of apt, I think."
Anderson said the driving force for her was focusing on saving lives.
"People were dying daily and that's just not something, if it can be prevented, then why not," said Anderson.
Mercy Health is still offering vaccination clinics; anyone interested can call 866-624-0366 or visit their online scheduling tool.
