Brad

(Interview Conducted May 2021)

Brad contracted Covid-19 from his work in Nov 2020 - an environment he deems a “cesspool.” For security, he cannot publicly identify his employer but claims it is one of the largest in the state with a population of 2k+. Throughout 2020, Brad transported positive people to and from the hospital until the virus spread so bad throughout his workplace that an ambulance was left outside their facility. With limited staff, he was busy working doubles and 16-hour shifts. Feelings of fatigue were becoming more apparent, but Brad chalked it up to the extra work. Over Thanksgiving, a Covid-19 test he had taken at work came back positive. The first couple of weeks with Covid-19 were miserable but manageable to battle from home. After the two weeks passed, Brad was not getting better, and he ended up in the hospital for three days for labored breathing/pneumonia. He tried to vocalize to hospital staff that he was not feeling any better upon his release, and not long after, he was back in the ER again. Tests and scans revealed Brad still had pneumonia seven weeks after contracting Covid-19. Doctors located a 5 mm pulmonary nodule on his left lung. His kidney and liver enzymes were elevated, indicating he had sepsis. His entire body was riddled with inflammation, and his knee joints were in so much pain. He spent the holidays alone, drinking lots of fluids to flush out the infection. Now over five months later, Brad spends his days traveling from one specialist to the next. He sees a cardiologist, pulmonologist, orthopedic specialist, neurologist, rheumatoid arthritis specialist, and physical therapist. Some specialists have taken 2.5 months or more to get in for treatment. He is yet another Covid-19 long-hauler that is out of work. For support, Brad is on long-term disability. The paperwork process has been disorganized, resulting in lapsed payments and new legal action. Family and friends have been slow to understand his situation, and he says it can be hard to explain to people why he isn’t “fully recovered” from Covid-19. People tend to be suspicious about Long Covid (long-haulers). Within his workplace, Brad has seen Covid-19 affect all kinds of people from varying backgrounds and says he still never believed it would affect him like this. He is frustrated by the never-ending medical treatment, and he is anxious to resume working, but he is also spreading encouragement to other long-haulers to “keep up the fight.” He says, “answers are out there, and doctors will find them.”

*Hear more of Brad’s story below in his Zoom Interview.