Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Superman pharmacist reacts to Biden speech as Dean’s guest
U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean picks Dr. Mayank Amin as guest for speech
SKIPPACK >> For Montgomery County’s very own Superman, watching President Joe Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday night was an unforgettable moment.
“The experience altogether was one I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life,” said Dr. Mayank Amin, a pharmacist and owner of Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville. “Not because it was a special invitation to me as a pharmacist who’s helped with the vaccine drives, but it was a token of appreciation to everyone that’s helped in this fight.”
Amin was asked by U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th Dist., to attend the speech as her guest.
Dean said she wanted to “lift someone up around vaccine,” when choosing her plus-one for the distinguished address.
“Oh I was so delighted to ask him, and just honored that he said yes,” she said.
Amin, also known as Dr. Mak, said that he received a call from the congresswoman who represents constituents in Montgomery and Berks counties.
“That was probably the coolest part about all of this is that it wasn’t just somebody else inviting. She called,” he said. “We had a five-minute conversation, and she just mentioned all the points of the reasons why she chose myself to represent our team to be the special guest in her district.”
Local and federal leaders have taken notice of Amin’s efforts
to inoculate thousands across Montgomery County against the novel coronavirus.
Amin has built up a local following as he’s often seen wearing his signature Superman suit.
“Superman’s my favorite because of his ability to fly and fight the bad guys,” he said in a June 2020 interview. “Although I wish I could fly, fight COVID and serve more patients, the costume gives me energy to keep going and do whatever I can with what I’ve been tasked to do.”
He continued to keep people smiling as he delivered prescriptions to clients and personal protective equipment to first responders in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As vaccine supply became available to the Montgomery County pharmacy, Amin began holding large scale clinics as well as routine vaccination opportunities at his Schwenksville-based business.
Dean also noted that securing adequate vaccine supply for the state’s third most populous county was a major issue.
“So when he stepped up and started filling that void ... I’ve never been a part of an event where I saw, witnessed hundreds of people, whether volunteers or receiving vaccine, simply thankful, a feeling of gratitude because we’ve been in a feeling for the last year of terror and isolation,” Dean said.
Amin estimated that he and hundreds of volunteers have organized roughly 20 specialized vaccination clinics since early February, administering roughly 37,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine so far.
Dean partnered with Amin, participating in a Skippack Pharmacy COVID-19 vaccination clinic on March 28 at North Penn High School in Towamencin Township, and said she was amazed by the operation.
“People are so excited to be a part of positive things for this country and for their neighbors,” she said. “So Dr. Mak is sort of the symbol of that here in our district.”
Amin credited those giving their time to make these clinics happen.
“They’re the brains behind the operation,” Amin said. “I just happen to be a part of it, and I’m just thankful that I got the invitation on behalf of the core team members, and everyone that’s helped with the clinics.”
In true COVID-19 pandemic fashion, Wednesday’s address took on a hybrid approach.
While Dean sat in the socially distanced chamber in the nation’s capitol, Amin tuned in virtually, watching the speech from New Jersey, with his pregnant wife, Payal.
“This was our opportunity to have our baby listen in too with his daddy right by his side,” he said.
Other members of Amin’s family held a watch party in Lansdale.
Amin also assumed control of Dean’s Twitter account, @ RepDean, tweeting during Biden’s remarks.
“The unique experience I had is I never thought in my life I would get to do a social media takeover for an official of that level, and on a platform where you have thousands and thousands of people that are viewing the remarks that are being posted,” Amin said.
“That was so honorable that as the president was speaking, we had the opportunity to connect his speech to our vaccine clinics, and … the American Rescue Plan [Act] that the president mentioned, how that was so instrumental in us getting so many of these vaccines at the smaller pharmacies,” he continued. “And he mentioned it multiple times, the fact that ... 40,000 pharmacies throughout the country received the vaccines.”
There were 26.9 million people who watched Wednesday’s speech as Biden touched on initiatives ranging from climate to economic policy.
“[It was] just a really bold, progressive speech that meets this incredible moment of challenge and opportunity in our history,” Dean said. “So I couldn’t be prouder of the president.”
But there was a point that struck a chord for Amin.
“We all know life can knock us down. But in America, we never, ever, ever stay down,” Biden said in his remarks.
Through hard work and perseverance, he ended up reopening a local pharmacy in 2019.
“Those words gave me goosebumps because this is my story,” Amin said.
Amin was humbled when reflecting on his conversation with Dean and the speech.
“That was an awe inspiring experience, speaking with her, and just her telling us all the things that we’ve done, some of the things we can’t remember because we’re not doing this for any kind of praise,” Amin said. “The sole goal of all this, and why all these people help us is because we want to get our communities safer as fast as possible, and when you don’t do things for credit, and you do it because you love people, amazing [things] happen.”