Helping Gladys as she recovers from COVID-19
Donation protected
Originally from Cologne, Germany, Gladys moved to the United States to work as an au pair in 2009. She pursued her passion for working with children and graduated from Lesley University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Development and Education in May of 2018, while working as an infant teacher at a Harvard-based childcare center. She and her husband have been living in Cambridge for over 6 years.
A previously healthy 31-year-old, she and her husband contracted COVID-19 soon after the state closed schools and child care centers in March 2020. At the time, her husband drove a shuttle bus contracted by Biogen, a local biotech company linked to the coronavirus outbreak that devastated Massachusetts in March. For Gladys, what started out as a simple fever rapidly progressed to her being placed on a ventilator in the ICU. She was on a ventilator at BIDMC for more than 5 weeks and suffered severe side effects from her hospital stay, including two blood transfusions. There were several close calls when doctors told her husband to prepare for the worst, including before her surgery to locate internal bleeding and multiple hematomas. After being released from the hospital, Gladys spent two weeks at a rehab facility, working with speech, physical, and mental health therapists. She finally came home in mid-May, where she continues her rehabilitation services remotely.
Unfortunately, Gladys continues to experience many long-term physical and emotional effects from COVID-19. The residual ailments from her 5 weeks in the hospital, being hooked up to machinery and receiving countless shots and blood draws every day have rendered her unable to return to her job as an early childhood educator. Her lung capacity remains at 60%. She desperately needs to see a lung specialist as her lungs continue to struggle and expel dead tissue. She now has a heart condition which requires lifelong medication. She simply cannot manage the physically demanding work of lifting and caring for infants. She struggles to walk up a flight of stairs, and is extremely anxious about the possibility of returning to an environment with children who are too young to wear masks. Many questions remain about what her long-term care will look like. Meanwhile, all of her extended family lives abroad, and her household currently has no other source of income beyond her monthly disability checks that are still not enough.
This campaign will provide Gladys with money for food, rent, and transportation to her ongoing medical appointments while she continues to recover. Their used car is beyond repair and she is unable to take public transportation or ride-share services due to her fear of contracting the virus again. All of the stress and uncertainty surrounding her health and finances only make it that much harder for her to heal and recover.
Gladys has been an integral part of the community and has cared for many children, offering them unending love and kindness. We hope to show our gratitude and support by helping her through this unimaginably difficult time.
Thank you for your love and support.
A previously healthy 31-year-old, she and her husband contracted COVID-19 soon after the state closed schools and child care centers in March 2020. At the time, her husband drove a shuttle bus contracted by Biogen, a local biotech company linked to the coronavirus outbreak that devastated Massachusetts in March. For Gladys, what started out as a simple fever rapidly progressed to her being placed on a ventilator in the ICU. She was on a ventilator at BIDMC for more than 5 weeks and suffered severe side effects from her hospital stay, including two blood transfusions. There were several close calls when doctors told her husband to prepare for the worst, including before her surgery to locate internal bleeding and multiple hematomas. After being released from the hospital, Gladys spent two weeks at a rehab facility, working with speech, physical, and mental health therapists. She finally came home in mid-May, where she continues her rehabilitation services remotely.
Unfortunately, Gladys continues to experience many long-term physical and emotional effects from COVID-19. The residual ailments from her 5 weeks in the hospital, being hooked up to machinery and receiving countless shots and blood draws every day have rendered her unable to return to her job as an early childhood educator. Her lung capacity remains at 60%. She desperately needs to see a lung specialist as her lungs continue to struggle and expel dead tissue. She now has a heart condition which requires lifelong medication. She simply cannot manage the physically demanding work of lifting and caring for infants. She struggles to walk up a flight of stairs, and is extremely anxious about the possibility of returning to an environment with children who are too young to wear masks. Many questions remain about what her long-term care will look like. Meanwhile, all of her extended family lives abroad, and her household currently has no other source of income beyond her monthly disability checks that are still not enough.
This campaign will provide Gladys with money for food, rent, and transportation to her ongoing medical appointments while she continues to recover. Their used car is beyond repair and she is unable to take public transportation or ride-share services due to her fear of contracting the virus again. All of the stress and uncertainty surrounding her health and finances only make it that much harder for her to heal and recover.
Gladys has been an integral part of the community and has cared for many children, offering them unending love and kindness. We hope to show our gratitude and support by helping her through this unimaginably difficult time.
Thank you for your love and support.
Organizer and beneficiary
Myra O'Neal
Organizer
Cambridge, MA
Gladys Henry
Beneficiary