Jennifer

Early in the pandemic, Jennifer fought a moderate-severe case of COVID-19 alone in her home. Since April, she has been suffering from many effects, including oddities like vocal paralysis and changes to her vision. She is currently being studied and treated by numerous specialists at The University of Michigan Post ICU Longitudinal Survivor Experience (U-M PULSE) Clinic - a clinic working to provide post-covid care and trace survivors’ symptoms to find answers. But like many other long-haulers, instead of answers, Jennifer is met with a lot of “I don’t know’s.” To help make sense of all the uncertainty, she compares her situation to a previous one: the trials of going undiagnosed with bipolar disorder for many years. She encourages other long-haulers to advocate for themselves and seek treatment elsewhere if their effects aren’t taken seriously. Jennifer credits her service dog and cat with helping her cope with isolation and the overwhelming nature of this illness. She feels they are the reason she has remained sane.

*Hear Jennifer’s full story below in her Zoom Interview