Hi I'm Birgit Djupedal Fioravante. My oldest daughter, Kelly, has been battling Long Covid for several years now. I myself, friends of mine, my church and her father have helped her during this difficult time with medical expenses as well as moral support. And I would like to thank everyone for that! Seven months ago she had a turn for the worse and was bed bound. She is better now, but not yet well. Neither I nor my family are wealthy. We are not able to help the way we would like. So I am reaching out for help.

A bit about Long Covid...the illness can manifest differently in each person and is a complex, poorly understood illness. Her symptoms are similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Debilitating fatigue, muscle weakness, joint/muscle paid, and brain fog. Even watching a show or making a phone call can at times be too much for her. Her illness became severe the last year and she often found it difficult to get out of bed. Based on what we know of similar illnesses it is imperative for her to seek aggressive treatment early, or her disability and physical symptoms could become more permanent.

Unfortunately there are no medications or courses of treatment that are approved by the FDA. So nothing, including doctor visits and some blood tests, are covered by her insurance. If you want to read more on Long Covid, here click here. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/long-covid-keeps-people-out-of-work-and-hurts-the-economy Activists are trying to advocate for Long Covid patients. There there are millions with this illness in a similar situation having to spend money on basic treatment since it's not offered under insurance, yet.

A bit about Kelly. She lives in Queens, NY with her lovable dog Dougie. She is a performer which she came by honestly, the curse of her mother, the opera singer. She is what most people would call a singer/songwriter. A quote from DeliMag (A Brooklyn-based music magazine) “Luxtress (Kelly Fioravante) crafts glittering electropop gems filtered through a fractured lens, drawing from the highs and lows of living on your own terms in an increasingly alienating world." Now she has serious interest from a very well-funded recording label after all these years.

She has been unable to find treatment through her insurance because of the above reasons. However, she has been seeing a specialist for Long Covid, out of pocket. Through testing, he has diagnosed severe mitochondrial dysfunction and a depleted immune system. She has tried several treatments, some that have helped. Her most successful have been NAD infusions, Rapamycin, levocarnitine , 1MNA and several supplements. She has been unable to try some medications suggested to her due to cost. She is making some progress since the beginning of the year, with fewer crashes, but she is still unable to work more than a few hours a week. She always had tons of energy. It is heartbreaking to see her like this, knowing her nature. She would like to start another treatment that holds promise, a stellate ganglion block. However, is very costly, $1500 for one and may require repeat treatments.

Her current medical expenses average $1000-$1500 a month. I cannot afford to help her with this alone, so I am reaching out to my dear friends and hoping you will pass this on to your friends.

Any donation or share would be massively appreciated by us both. I'm confident that with proper treatment she will return to health and be able to be functional and healthy again. Please help Kelly heal and recover!