Help Audrey Matson Stand Again After 17 Months

For the past seventeen months, twenty-four-year-old Audrey Matson has not had a shower, left her bed for a few minutes, or taken a single step. She hasn't felt the fresh air on her face since June of last year, and she can't remember what it feels like to do most normal activities. This life confined to bed has become her normal. And it is not that she lacks the willpower to get well, doctors who understand her condition, or a physical therapist. Instead, it is an extremely severe case of long COVID (post-COVID syndrome) that confines her to her bed, as it makes her dangerously sensitive to all movement, exercise, light, sound, scents, and other sensory input. Any amount of energy expenditure that her body cannot handle, even for tiny things that you or I would not think of as an energy expenditure, can cause an increase in symptoms that last days or weeks, or even permanently.

But one treatment that could be life-changing has recently caught the attention of Audrey and her family. A stellate ganglion block is an injection to the base of the neck which resets the nervous system. In one study, it has been found to be helpful in up to 86% of long COVID cases. The procedure is well-studied and low-risk. If you want to help, any amount would truly be appreciated. Any extra money raised would go towards other treatments to help Audrey.

The picture of Audrey in the wheelchair outside was taken 18 months ago. As of now, she is not able to leave her bed.