My name is Austin Hughes, born and raised in Metairie LA, graduated from Rummel High School in 2011 in kinesiology at LSU 2015, and Doctorate of Physical Therapy from FranU. For the past two years and two months, I’ve been battling with debilitating Long COVID. I never thought I would have to do this, but after all this time scraping by month to month with medical bills, we could now need some extra help.

I caught COVID in August 2023, which ended me up in the emergency room due to serious cardiac symptoms. After I thought I felt better, in about a week, I went back to work but would still have troubling cardiac and nervous system issues pop up throughout my days. Sometimes I was able to make it through my symptoms and the workday, and sometimes I would have to turn right around and go home as soon as I tried to go to work. Eventually, around February 2024, my symptoms had gotten worse, and I could no longer go to work or really leave my home. Then I had to battle with my disability company for months to try and get approved while I had no income, and they even denied me the first time and prolonged the process. Once I finally got my disability, I was let go from a dream job of mine, as a Physical Therapist at Tulane University Athletics and Orthopedics program, that I had worked countless hours to attain and maintain, and resulted in a loss of health insurance as well.

Since then, I’ve seen countless specialists, run almost every kind of lab, and tried nearly every possible therapy involving nervous system, immune, oxygenation, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative treatments. Despite our continued effort, I remain homebound, living with debilitating dysautonomia, sympathetic nervous system overdrive, POTS, MCAS, severe GI sensitivity, chest pains, cardiac issues, fatigue, exercise intolerance, and sleep dysfunction.

Unfortunately, living with this extensive illness all this time is incredibly expensive. All the supplements, medications, peptides, lab tests, appointments, and treatments add up quickly—and of course none of it is covered. My limited disability income barely covers rent and basic bills. We’ve depleted accounts, used credit cards, sold possessions, and received help from a few family members to scrape by each month. This illness also forced us to cancel our wedding twice, and I’ve missed countless moments with friends and family—weddings, births, and other important events that I would have loved to be a part of. I even can't enjoy food anymore in our great city, as I have to eat an extremely limited diet. Long COVID doesn't just take your health; it’s also taken so many of life’s irreplaceable moments and time.

I'm still fighting every day 24/7 to recover and always looking for new info and treatments. I just want to get back to living and enjoying life and to catch up on so many things and people I have missed all this time.

How the Funds Will Help:

Your support will help cover:

• Ongoing medical treatments, testing, and IV therapies

• Supplements, medications, and recovery protocols

If you can donate, seriously, thank you so much as everything we can do on our own has been done. If you can’t, even sharing this page helps.

Thank you for your time, effort, and help

Austin + Allie