Tracey
“She was extremely active and motivated before COVID.”
These days, it doesn't matter how much sleep Tracey gets. Once in the top group of her grammar school, she now struggles to stay awake in class.
Thankfully, her school has been supportive and understanding. Partly because Tracey’s Head of Year is being treated under the Adult Long Covid Clinic herself and has the same symptoms; COVID side effects that were made up of the usual suspects at first. However, Tracey’s loss of smell and taste soon turned to extreme fatigue and debilitating headaches - the type that no amount of painkillers could shift.
Along with those continuous headaches, Tracey’s sense of smell and taste still hasn’t returned to this day. She feels sick all the time, has no appetite, and has lost a lot of weight - not to mention its effect on her hearing.
“She struggles to join in conversations with her friends or hear what the teacher is saying in class,” says Mum. But even outside of lessons, the brain fog makes it difficult for Tracey to revise what she's learned.
Whilst Tracey’s school has been supportive, the doctors still don’t have any answers.
“Our GP was brilliant but even she said she didn’t know who to refer Tracey to and had to go away and research it,”
recalls her Mum. And even when the family did get a referral to the Long Covid Clinic, it was rejected as they were ‘out of the area’.
“There’s nothing down here and I was so desperate for help that I was happy and prepared to travel to London,” says Mum. “I’m not hopeful that a general paediatrician will be able to help.”
But Tracey and her mum aren’t alone. It’s clear that a lack of awareness continues to be a struggle that many families fighting the effects of Long Covid face
“Seeing people in the media saying ‘it doesn’t affect children badly’ is such a massive kick in the teeth for us,”
says Tracey’s mum.
More positive news is the fact that advice from LCK and other parents - especially when it comes to supplements and meals - is starting to help. Through proper pacing, Tracey now manages to attend school and some activities if there’s time for some sleep breaks in between; naps are often squeezed into car journeys whilst Mum’s driving.
But what does the road back to recovery look like according to Mum?
“For Tracey to enjoy a meal or be able to join in on conversations - and without having to constantly ask people to repeat themselves,” she says. “...just for her smile to come back.”
That is why Long Covid Kids is committed to supporting research and creating resources like the LCK Educational Toolkit, and with your help, we can continue our work. Please consider donating today and help us be there for every family who needs us.
Long Covid Kids supports children and young people living with Long Covid and related illnesses, as well as the families and caregivers who look after them. We rely entirely on donations to fund our vital work. And this is why we need your help to continue helping children like Tracey who are struggling with Long Covid.
Please donate today to give children with Long Covid a brighter future.
£20 could help us continue championing the rights of children like Tracey whose lives have been turned upside down by Long Covid.
£10 could help us run weekly support sessions for children like Tracey who are immensely isolated by their illness.
£5 could help us moderate chat forums for young people like Tracey desperate to connect with others in the same situation.
Your gift can make a meaningful difference in the lives of these brave young people. Thank you for your support.
If you are a young person who has been affected by the ongoing symptoms of COVID, support is available, with or without a diagnosis. More info here.
If you, or someone you know has had a change in their health following a COVID infection reliable support and information can be found here:
