Rachel

Rachel is a fun, out-going restaurant worker that hasn’t been back to work since March 2020. In September, her husband and her contracted Covid-19, but they had very different experiences. Rachel’s husband bounced back relatively quickly, while Rachel has been in and out of urgent care with repeated respiratory issues for the past five months. Initially, Rachel thought she was going crazy - comparing her experience with her husband’s and assuming the lasting effects couldn’t possibly be related to the virus. After hearing from the doctors that they think she may now have asthma, Rachel is slowly coming out of denial to realize that she might be one of the long-haulers with confusing after-effects. Like so many of us, Rachel deals with a physical toll from the pandemic and a mental toll: she has noticed some social anxiety has recently replaced her more friendly personality due to isolation. Luckily, she has a great support system and feels a strong sense of community from this experience. While restaurants gear up to reopen their doors this week, Rachel is grateful that her work is incredibly understanding towards their employees and welcoming them back whenever they feel safe and ready.

*Hear her full story below in her Zoom Interview