Support Sara - The Long Haul of Covid Long-Haulers

As we all know, neither Sara nor Jon would - in a million, gatrillion years - ask for financial help. So I figured that I would ask for them. And what better day to start that than on Sara's birthday, when the support of her community would be the very best gift that she would never ask for.

You see... Sara has been dealing with significant mystery pain and illness since November 2020 that initially kept her from working for the better part of 3 months, and has continued (to this day) to make her life a day-to-day slog of "will I have energy and a brain today?", as well as mandating test after test and visits with one provider after another. The short, to-the-point fact is that Sara was diagnosed with Covid long-haulers, and while she IS getting better, it is a long road that we are still very much learning the twists and turns of. And - as with most chronic conditions - care involves a team of providers, trials of different medications and treatments, and continued labs and tests.

The longer story is this... At first it was just an inexplicable burning and pain in her stomach and belly that kept her bed-bound and mostly unable to eat for a solid month and led her to have a CT, upper endoscopy, and motility exam. She was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus, but nothing that explained her pain. Along with the tests that they ran in November, Sara has had a colonoscopy, an MRI, upper and lower gastric studies, and too many labs to count.

She struggled through November and December looking for answers, and then in January the inflammation shifted to her throat and made it extremely difficult for Sara to talk, once again preventing her from working. And while the digestive issues and pain were bad enough, the brain fog and other mental symptoms have been equally scary, making Sara feel like she no longer recognizes herself.

Thankfully, she has been back at work since March, but hasn't yet been able to work her full schedule, and she still has a ways to go before she returns to "normal", health-wise.

Why is all of that important to share? Because, in her search for relief and answers, she and Jon have had to make the same choice that many people have... to rack up an immense amount of medical bills in the hope that something will help Sara feel better.

Along the way, there were times where Jon wasn't sure that Sara was going to make it, so OF COURSE they were going to keep going, to try to figure out what the heck was going on with her, and how to fix it! And I know none of us really need a reason to help out a friend that we love, and who we all want to feel her very best, but it is absolutely also true that stress makes all of this worse. Stress is one of the worst things for someone dealing with chronic illness, and I know full well that the medical debt that is both behind and in front of Sara causes her stress, as does the fact that she still can't work a full schedule.

So if you have a little bit to chip in, just something to say "I've got your back and I support you", please consider donating whatever feels right, something to take the pressure off of Sara and Jon as she continues treatment, and gets her feet back under her. And say a little Happy Birthday when you do!

Thank you!