Where were you at the start of 2020? You know, during those first few months when you didn’t know the whole world was about to upend itself?

Well, my friend, Christine, was living out her dream of exploring the country of New Zealand! Weekly she'd post pics of her scaling mountains on 20-kilometer hikes, splashing joyfully in the ocean, even getting helicopter rescued from a road washed away in flooding.

Christine is one of the special people that truly lives without hesitation. She's a do-er, ready to experience just about anything.

The whole world changed with the pandemic, but Chris had no idea how much she would change too.

In August of 2021, Christine, who was double vaxxed and “covid conscious,” caught Covid while at work. After a brief hospital stay and two weeks off work, she envisioned life returning to normal. But her battle with Covid was just beginning.

At first, it was smaller things; insomnia, vertigo, fatigue, the inability to commute to work by bike (which she was doing pre-covid infection), and cognitive impairment making her work incredibly challenging (and the crushing anxiety that came with that). Since then, it’s been a year of progressively worse health as she continues to struggle with Long Covid.

This once vital person is now bed/couch ridden for most of her day. She struggles with an incredibly elevated heart rate, unimaginable fatigue, dizziness, cognitive impairment severely limiting her abilities, continued insomnia, and pain; intense migraines, the feeling of electric shocks shooting down her arms and legs, lungs that leave her feeling like she can’t breath. And that’s just a few of the over 80 Long Covid symptoms she experiences that often leave her completely wrecked and physically debilitated on a daily basis. No income. No sleep. No energy. And unfortunately, no real help or treatment options from our Canadian medical system.

Chris hasn't given up.

Instead, she's doubling down on her fight for vitality. She’s decided to travel abroad for private treatment, in the hopes it will give her a chance at health. See, told you she's a do-er.

She leaves in November for treatment that is showing promising results for Long Covid sufferers, called H.E.L.P. apheresis. I’ll let Chris fill you in on the details below. You can also follow her story on Instagram @christine.fights.long.covid

Please help me in supporting Christine as she navigates her health journey, this most unfortunate trip she would have never imagined taking. Every little bit helps, so please share whatever funds you are able and let's show Christine that we're behind her all the way.

- Tabitha

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From Christine:

Hi friends,

I’ve been suffering from Long Covid for the past 14 months and unable to access treatment at home. Most of you likely don’t know, or are only gently aware, of the extent and severity of my illness because I haven’t shared the details with many people.

It has been hard for me to talk about because I have not been okay.

When I lost my ability to work in May and then experienced rapid deterioration after a second Covid infection in June, I became very emotional. I am scared for my future and that I could become permanently disabled.

It is one thing when your body betrays you; limbs becoming hot and red and feeling like there is fire burning in your veins as you try to sleep, heart rate jumping to 160-180bpm every time you stand, and for noise, motion or light making you too dizzy, nauseous and migraine-filled to function.

But, it is quite another thing when your mind starts to betray you at the same time. The first time I forgot how to do a receptive task, all I could do was cry. Even scarier feelings arrived when I stopped recognizing my surroundings while driving out to my farm, a drive I’ve done thousands of times. (Don’t worry, I’m not driving anymore)

My symptoms feel like the wild wild west. New ones keep coming out of left field. My world is now very slow, small, quiet, painful … and mainly spent horizontally.

I am exhausted by continuing to fight and advocate for support and treatment within our medical care system. There is no treatment pathway or approved treatment options in Saskatchewan. No specialist. Practitioners have very limited knowledge of Long Covid. I get bounced from one 6-8 month wait to see a specialist to another. Each doctor offering me little help or insight and referring me to the next.

With no approved treatments on the horizon, I am losing more of my health and ability to function each week and am at risk of developing autoimmune diseases and irreversible damage to vasculature, tissues and organs. I’m now on 12 different medications as we try the “whack-a-mole” approach; medications thrown at me to help manage my symptoms. None addressing the root cause of my illness.

What is the root cause? I’m so happy you asked ; )

Recent studies have concluded that people suffering from Long Covid have microclots in their blood, which cause hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) to tissues and organs. Our vascular system is changing and perhaps becoming irreversibly damaged, and we have high amounts of autoantibodies in our blood, which can lead to autoimmune disease. There is also evidence of viral persistence in our brain stem, tissues and organs. The verdict is still out as to why the virus affects people with Long Covid in these ways.

But! The good news is there is one treatment showing promising results for Long Covid, called H.E.L.P. Apheresis. It is a safe procedure, similar to dialysis and plasma extraction, but it filters out microclots, autoantibodies and virus particles in the blood. This treatment is currently only being offered in Germany, Switzerland and Cyprus. Cyprus being the most affordable option. So that is where I am heading!

Apheresis treatment is not covered by medical insurance (nor is any other Long Covid treatment option at this time). Each treatment costs $2300. The number of treatments required coincides with how long (and how severely) you've been sick. I will likely need 8-10 treatments. My goal is to have the course of treatments done in a condensed 6 week time frame to save on expenses of being abroad. I may have to extend for up to 9 weeks based on my response and recovery time between each session. I leave mid-November and return on hope to return on Christmas Day.

Long Covid has rendered me unable to work. As a single-income household turned into a no-income household, any donations will make this treatment a more viable option for me. All donations raised by this GoFundMe will go towards:

It feels incredibly vulnerable to share this, let alone ask for your help. I know times are tough right now for so many and that not everyone has extra money to give. I would sincerely appreciate anything you can offer, whether it's a small donation, sharing this GoFundMe, or offering me words of support. It has been hard to stay hopeful.

But, I am looking forward to what life may look like after treatments. Hopefully not horizontal!! I look forward to standing and walking, to sleeping and being able to listen to music again, to working and having an income. And I especially look forward to coming home and continuing to support my health as my body recovers and heals with my newly found saving graces: a receptive RNP, a naturopath, and a functional doctor.

Thank you for reading,

Love and hopeful vibes,

Christine

P.S. For you curious cats who would like to know more about this treatment or about what it's like to be living with such a severe Long Covid, here are some resources I’d like to share with you:

HELP Apheresis Documentary

HELP Apheresis Medical Journal Article

The Guardian News on the Long Covid Fight

P.P.S. As my energy allows, I will try to keep updates on my health journey and treatments. Join me here on Instagram @christine.fights.long.covid if you’d like to follow along! I’ll share stories about my current struggles, fill you in on what we know about Long Covid and keep you posted as I travel and start treatments in Cyprus.