Help Robert Access Potentially Life-Changing Long COVID Treatment
TL;DR
I am a former teacher and international educator who has been severely disabled by Long COVID since 2020. After six years of illness, I now have access to a promising physician-directed 20-week treatment opportunity in the United States involving antivirals and monoclonal antibody therapy.
A patient grant through Long COVID Labs is covering approximately half of the treatment costs, but I still need help covering accommodation, travel, living expenses, and remaining medical costs to make treatment possible.
For the first time in years, I feel there may finally be a realistic path forward.
(This campaign was launched in September 2024 to support ongoing expenses. As of relaunching this campaign today May 13, 2026 you have helped me with $ which has helped me pay for medications, eat and hang in there the best I can. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this.)
---
Who I Was Before Long COVID
My name is Robert DeRosa. Before becoming ill, I was an elementary school teacher and international educator for over 15 years. I lived and worked in Japan and Singapore, completed a Master in Public Policy degree at the National University of Singapore, and spent years building a life centered around education, travel, community, and helping others.
In 2019, I moved to Atlanta to begin a new chapter in my life and career.
---
How Long COVID Changed My Life
In February 2020, shortly after moving to the United States, I became severely ill with what is now believed to have been an early COVID-19 infection.
I never recovered.
Over the past six years, Long COVID has completely changed my life. I now live with severe fatigue, autonomic dysfunction, neurocognitive impairment, and symptoms consistent with ME/CFS and POTS.
At my best, I am largely housebound. At my worst, I am bedridden.
---
The Reality of Severe Long COVID
The neurocognitive effects have been especially devastating. I struggle with severe exhaustion, memory impairment, concentration problems, and executive dysfunction that make even routine daily tasks difficult.
Activities most people take for granted — grocery shopping, preparing meals, attending appointments, responding to emails, or even spending extended time upright — can leave me physically depleted for days.
Studies have found that many people living with severe Long COVID experience levels of disability and reduced quality of life comparable to, or worse than, illnesses such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, severe kidney disease, and some advanced cancers.
Unfortunately, many people still do not fully understand how profoundly disabling this illness can be.
Before getting sick, I was active, healthy, and constantly on the move. I ran marathons, travelled extensively, and built a career helping young people.
Today, my world has become incredibly small.
---
Financial Hardship & Survival
After becoming too ill to continue working and eventually losing my housing in Atlanta in August 2023, my father became my primary source of support and caregiving throughout this illness.
Earlier this year, I was finally able to obtain subsidized housing in Hamilton, Ontario, which has provided some much-needed stability, but I continue to live with severe daily limitations and ongoing financial hardship.
I currently survive on approximately $1,216 CAD per month through ODSP disability support, which covers basic living expenses such as rent and food.
At the same time, my out-of-pocket prescription costs alone are often between $900–$1,050 CAD per month, forcing me at times to go without medications or delay care.
---
Medical Care & Public Advocacy
My condition has been evaluated and documented by multiple physicians and Long COVID programs in both the United States and Canada, including Emory University’s Long COVID Clinic in Atlanta and Toronto Western Hospital under Dr. Angela Cheung, who leads Long COVID research efforts in Canada.
Despite everything, I have continued trying to fight for myself and others living with Long COVID through advocacy efforts, patient advisory work, and research engagement initiatives.
My story has also been featured publicly in media coverage including CBC Hamilton and the Hamilton Spectator, where I spoke openly about the realities of living with severe Long COVID and the challenges patients continue to face.
---
A Possible Treatment Opportunity
Recently, I was presented with a promising physician-directed treatment opportunity in the United States involving an approximately 20-week (5-month) antiviral and monoclonal antibody treatment plan.
While still considered experimental in the context of Long COVID, it represents the most hopeful treatment opportunity I have had since becoming ill.
Unfortunately, this treatment approach is not currently accessible to me within Canada.
I was fortunate to receive a patient grant through Long COVID Labs, which covers approximately half of the treatment costs, including an initial course of antivirals and a Pemgarda infusion.
However, the broader logistics surrounding an extended treatment stay — including accommodation, living expenses, travel, remaining treatment costs, and ongoing medical logistics — remain far beyond what I can realistically manage alone after years of disability and inability to work.
---
Why I Am Asking for Help
More than anything, I simply want the chance to regain some degree of independence, stability, and quality of life.
If you are able to support me — whether through donating, sharing this campaign, or helping spread awareness about severe Long COVID — it would mean more than I can adequately express.
For the first time in years, I finally feel there may be a chance to get part of my life back.
Thank you sincerely for taking the time to read my story and for any support you may be able to offer.
With gratitude,
Robert DeRosa
---
Media Coverage
“I can’t live like this”: How Robert DeRosa’s life has been hijacked by Long COVID
• CBC Hamilton:
Organizer
