In March 2020, a Portland preschool teacher named Amy Watson woke up sick. She would never fully wake up well again.

The trucker cap she wore the day she got tested for COVID inspired the name she gave her Facebook support group: Long Haul COVID Fighters . The term caught on. Dr. Anthony Fauci used it publicly . It entered the pandemic lexicon. Amy had given millions of suffering, dismissed people a name for what they were living through.

I know, because I was one of them. My name is Kate. I got sick that same March and didn't get better. As my symptoms raged past the typical two weeks, I was scared and completely alone in what I was experiencing. Then Amy found me, pulled me into her group, and told me I wasn't alone. I was one of the lucky ones. I've largely recovered, though COVID left its mark on me permanently. Amy has not been so lucky. She has been my ride or die ever since, and she has never stopped fighting, for herself or for the rest of us.

Her groups grew to over 15,000 members. People poured out stories of lost jobs, lost homes, and doctors who didn't believe them. Amy held space for all of it, coordinated national media, kept advocates on message, and made sure patients nobody was listening to stayed visible. She did all of this while she was drowning herself.

That was six years ago. Amy has never recovered.

She lives with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), small fiber neuropathy, recurring severe anemia, brain perfusion issues, near-syncope episodes, severe joint pain, persistent neuropathy, and severe migraines. She is constantly in and out of doctor's offices and struggling to get through each day. Teaching, her life's work for nearly three decades, is no an option for her.

She has burned through her savings, while her SSDI applications have been denied. She's drawing down retirement funds to survive and SNAP benefits are long gone.

Funds raised here will go directly toward Amy's daily necessities, groceries, rent, utilities, and the ongoing medications and medical costs that come with managing a body fighting this hard just to stay functional.

Amy is not asking for this. Amy never asks for anything. That is why her friends are asking for her.

Our initial goal of $5,000 represents a few months of basic stability. Every dollar beyond that extends her runway while she keeps fighting a system that has failed her.

If the term "long hauler" has ever meant something to you, or to someone you love, this is the woman you have to thank. Please give what you can and share this widely. She showed up for hundreds of thousands of strangers. Let's show up for her.

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