I am in a very unique living situation within the Covid aware community. I live in one of the most conservative areas of the United States. Since the beginning of the pandemic, almost no one here took Covid seriously or cared. Unfortunately for me, I had bad luck in every possible way that set me up for repeated Covid infections and long Covid. I come from a very conservative family that has never taken Covid seriously, not from day one.

I was pregnant when March 2020 arrived. My husband and I were headed on our babymoon vacation to a Mexican beach resort. When I left the airport during the first week of March 2020, I had no idea that my life and the world would be permanently changed by the time I returned.

I got sick on the last day of the vacation. There were no Covid tests available then. I had cold like symptoms, mood swings, and extreme exhaustion. I slept through most of the travel back to the United States. When we arrived at the airport, guards were yelling at everyone to stand back six feet. I saw people wearing masks and had no idea what was happening. It turns out I had Covid and slipped into long Covid.

Did doctors believe me? Did my family believe me? No. My son was born prematurely due to respiratory distress and was placed in the NICU for many weeks. He was born 12 lbs premature and was cyanotic and filled with edema. The gynecologist never believed or said it was Covid. After that, I spiralled mentally and physically into long Covid. I could barely take care of myself, let alone a newborn. My family refused to accept this reality. They would not mask. They would not isolate my child. They insisted on inviting guests into our home and taking my baby out into the world.

Even when I masked every time I left the house or when someone in the home was sick, I still became infected. The virus lingers in the air for hours. Small children and spouses do not have boundaries and are frequently in close personal space. And so I suffered.

I got Covid again and again, though they never believed me. After every infection, I developed new chronic health issues. By 2022, I was almost bedridden. I went from being a fitness instructor who taught ten high-intensity classes per week to only being able to teach two Les Mills BodyPump classes per week.

I managed this only because of my past experiences with chronic illness and injury. I already lived with chronic pain from a serious car accident that required ankle surgery and left me with end-stage arthritis. I rely on stem cell treatments just to keep using my ankle. I also have type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that is extremely difficult to manage.

Omicron BA.1 in January 2022 was the most traumatic infection I have ever experienced. On New Year’s Day, I was on the floor, gasping for air and unable to breathe. At the same time, I watched President Biden on television announce that Covid was mild. In that moment, something inside me broke, and I have never been the same emotionally since.

Ten days later, I returned to work and experienced heart palpitations. My boss loudly told me that Covid was just a cold and that we were moving on. She reorganized the group exercise floor to look like it did in 2019 and removed all social distancing. I screamed and begged her to listen to me. She refused.

Since March 2020, my family has continued to infect me with Covid twice per year and influenza once per year. I have experienced every single wave. Early on, they convinced me that vaccines were dangerous, so I did not get vaccinated, and I suffered greatly because of it. When my unvaccinated mother was hospitalized with sudden heart issues after Covid in January 2023, my rage exploded. I got vaccinated that same day.

Since then, I have continued to get vaccinated every two to four months. It is my only defence, along with HEPA air purifiers.

Because of Covid, I have developed a hole in my heart that requires surgery, high blood pressure, Raynaud’s, chronic electrolyte imbalances, partial vision and hearing loss with tinnitus, dry eye syndrome, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, premature menopause at age 34 requiring hormone therapy, chronic fatigue, a chronic bacterial sinus infection requiring surgery, gum recession that required a gum graft, and worsening of my type 1 diabetes.

I have been through many difficult things in my life, but nothing compares to the trauma of Covid and forced repeat infections. I have lost faith in humanity. I no longer understand what love is, because if your own family is willing to do this to you, does love or care truly exist?

I use X to track variants because I want to know what is coming for me next. I scream, beg, and plead with my family to mask or skip events, but they do not listen.

During Covid, I also developed severe MCAS. In 2024, I realized that the house we lived in previously had toxic mold due to an improperly built HVAC system. The mold spread through the air ducts, and I was breathing it in while continuing to get Covid again and again. Even then, my family pushed me to keep going, beating me down when I was already exhausted. I did move away from that home and have gotten a mold free home I currently live in.

I am deeply grateful for the X community. It is the only place in the world where I feel heard and understood as someone living with long Covid.

Published: December 2025