Hi friends <3

My name is Lindsey Hodgson. I'm 36 years old, from Ontario, Canada. I've been suffering from severe long Covid & ME/CFS for over 4 years now...

The original reason why I started this GoFundMe was because I was losing my low rent/affordable apartment & I didn't see living with any of my family as an option... due to having such low capacity for being around ppl & I knew it would be bad for my mental health. I was too sick to find anywhere else to live on my own, so I was forced to move in with my mom in June/2025. Ever since then, my mental health has gotten much worse & I have only been made more aware of how awful & dysfunctional my family really is.

I am now raising money so I can afford groceries, supplements & other medical necessities - at least for the month of January/2026.

At Christmas this year, I pushed myself to celebrate with my family, overexerting myself for 4 days in a row. I should have known better, but I hadn't even been conscious enough to realize it was Christmas for the last 5 years... so I felt desperate to feel somewhat "normal" & wanted to try to spare my family of the imagined hurt & pain I thought they must feel not having me there on such an important holiday.

So I mistakenly put all my energy & effort into being there with my family... though now I realize they barely noticed I haven't been there for the last 5 years & my importance was only in my own head & imagination.

After Christmas day, I couldn't think, move or get out of bed for 4 days & am still suffering with a lower baseline. Due to basically being unconscious for this time, I didn't know what day it was & wasn't aware of my surroundings. I didn't realize my TV in my bedroom wasn't stable on the mount, which I would usually check... & on early Sunday morning, I awoke to the sound of the TV crashing to the floor, the screen shattering from hitting the corner of my dresser.

I was devastated... maybe this wouldn't mean much to me when I was healthy, but watching TV is one of the only things I can still do that brings me any sense of happiness, connection, or distraction from my symptoms & suffering. And I knew it was my fault it fell & that if I hadn't been in such a severe crash, it wouldn't have happened.

This was an extra huge expense I didn't anticipate & now need a little help to pay for necessary expenses - mostly food & supplements.

My Chronic Illness Story:

I had 1 Covid infection in late Dec/2021 that completely destroyed my health & my life.

About a week or 2 into my illness (in Jan/2022), I became severely ill & suddenly couldn't take care of myself. I felt like Covid was attacking my brain stem & killing important neurons my brain & body needed to be human. I had delirium, psychosis & severe confusion - I kept telling doctors & my family that I felt like my brain was degenerating & that I had dementia. Every doctor I've seen since then has tried to psychologize my symptoms & I've gotten no medical help.

Since then, I have suffered immensely. My symptoms have been debilitating... severe brain/cognitive impairment & dysfunction, sensory processing impairment, memory loss, blurry vision, muscle weakness, deep fatigue, PEM (post-exertional malaise), bed & housebound, unrefreshing sleep, orthostatic intolerance. I've been unable to make myself food at times or take care of myself properly. This includes a complete inability to work or make an income. I spend 90% of my time in bed & on bad days, needing to rest & block out all sensory stimulation with a sleep mask & ear plugs in.

Before I got long Covid, I was 32 & had recently graduated from college with honours for Multimedia Design & Development - I felt like I had finally found my purpose. I loved it & was really good at it. I was working as a freelance web & graphic designer & was about to land my dream job as a UX designer for a company that helps ppl with mental health. I was bright, caring, intelligent, full of life & had grand goals & ambitions. I loved myself & my life & had my whole life ahead of me... losing all of that has been deeply devastating.

It's hard for me to ask for help after spending my life being independent, high functioning & self sufficient. But I've come to a point where I have no other choice as I can no longer sustain myself & do everything on my own - living on ODSP is nearly impossible due to how low the amount is.

My Goal:

I have a goal of $400 - this will give me what I need to survive January. This will be used for groceries, food, supplements & other medical necessities.

If you've read this far, thank you, so much. Thank you for caring about me & my life. I deeply appreciate any help anyone is willing to give.