<div>PLEASE if you’re from my hometown be so incredibly thoughtful and cautious about the info in this and the fact that this gofundme exists. it would make my life much worse if this was found by my family 







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<div>i’m Ed and i am a 20 year old trans person with debilitating Long Covid. Specifically, I have POTS, insomnia, interstitial cystitis, and, most importantly, very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.). I have been mostly bedbound and fully housebound since June 1 2025. I cannot take care of myself. I cannot easily leave my bed—I use a wheelchair to get around my apartment—and I cannot cook or clean. I fully rely on the support of my wonderful friends, who are also largely under-resourced trans (disabled) people, who cannot just dish out food, medication, and train fares without being paid back.











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<div>I got COVID in early June 2024, during the summer between my sophomore and junior year of undergrad, and my world flipped upside down. As I was supposed to be exploring the city and conducting research, I started to experience debilitating insomnia, cystitis, fatigue, and brain fog. I didn’t understand it at the time, and I was not informed by clueless doctors, but I developed M.E. during my infection.











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<div>I was met with skepticism and transphobia by my parents from the start. Plus, when i sought medical care, I was outed as being on HRT to my especially transphobic father, who’d previously threatened to cut me off if I medically transitioned. So when I got sick, my parents primarily blamed my symptoms on my HRT, and whatever else was revealed to them that they could blame. This meant that when I developed M.E.—an illness in which repeated overexertion (inducing PEM) leads to extreme deterioration—I was unable to rest and take a medical leave from college. I was also unable to stop working because of the precariousness of my parents’ support. Even if my parents did take me seriously, returning to my hometown for a medical leave would make me worse because of various elements of my home environment, the lack of long COVID (and gender affirming) care, and because I do not have any friends back home since I lost almost everyone near the end of high school.











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<div>When I attempted to take steps to account for my deteriorating health, such as asking my father to insure my tuition for the spring 2025 semester in case something happened, I was accused of wanting to drop out. Exactly what I predicted happened and I became even worse during the spring semester, also getting a concussion in March. In the last few months my dad also started to believe that I am a heroin addict lying about being sick. This is largely because I am trans, so he sees me as “deviant” and deceptive. <span>This attitude has persisted despite my rapid deterioration, diagnoses of long COVID and M.E. by multiple doctors, as well as clear evidence from one clinic that I have POTS (see my active stand test) and an elevated metabolic rate, which can cause fatigue.</span>










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<div>Once the summer started I decided I needed to take a medical leave to prevent myself from deteriorating further, as I was partially housebound, “crashing” (experiencing severe PEM) often, and starting to struggle to care for myself consistently. This led my father to cut me off. My mom, who has more recently started to believe I have long COVID<span>, has continued to pay my rent thankfully. However, because of our turbulent relationship and the severity of my illness (in terms of intolerance to mental/emotional exertion), I cannot talk to my mother about my additional needs without threatening my health in ways that simply cannot be accommodated by my support network’s capacity. And I need much, much more than rent—my healthcare is extremely expensive, and of course I also must pay for food etc.</span>










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<div>I am currently unable to work because I have very little mental stamina anymore. And just sitting up or changing positions in my bed sends me into tachycardia. I spend all day every day lying in bed, unable to do basic tasks like read a book, watch TV, or listen to much music. I am seeking treatment and will hopefully be able to start a remote job once I improve more, but I cannot rely on that. I appreciate any and all support, thank you so so very much.











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kelvin newsome

Anonymous

Jezlyn Montas

Hugo Reale

Mary Rose Sunukjian

Sarah Regalado

Theo Steiner

Shelby Keesler

Oliver Strother

Ashling Lee

bea Urofsky

Help Ed Survive Long COVID, ME

Help Ed Survive Long COVID, ME

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