Pre-Covid: I was working on a busy acute stroke ward for a large NHS trust doing 30 hours clinical and 7.5 hours of research. I was in my early 30’s, young fit and active both in the gym and in my local community. In November 2019, I had secured a promotion and a job offer in the same Trust doing full time clinical research. I was really excited to branch out and to get some work life balance as ward nursing (especially on stroke) was rewarding but heart breaking, exhausting & often short staffed. I’d been in my new full time research role only a fortnight when I spent a furious day closing all my studies and started working on one of the first Covid observational studies. Then I was redeployed as a Band 5 back to my old ward and sometimes asked / floated to ICU. Three days later , with no PPE, I woke up feeling awful and only went to do the PCR thinking I’d be negative and cleared to go back to work. Instead I became the patient and was acutely unwell for two months and then in and out of hospital having nearly lost my life , unable to walk and with other health conditions as a result of the Covid infection.

Now: I am now on disability benefits , have a package of care from the council with carers who come in and I’ve had to move as I couldn’t live independently as I was so poorly and SSP made me financially unstable. I’m on a waiting list for spinal surgery to hopefully repair damage and still suffer with mobility issues and being bedridden for large periods of time. My hope is that eventually I’ll be able to get treatment for my long Covid and return, even if just 12-24 hours a week back to my job in clinical research.

Pre-covid: Worked full time as a diagnostic radiographer, 12 hour shifts, could walk the half an hour there and back. Adored my job, was getting into research and had just actually had an article published. I was never in, in my spare time, loved eating out, going out dancing, hiking, music festivals, holidays.

Now: I caught covid nearly 3 years ago, just recently lost my job after 2 years off sick. I am now house bound, my elderly father and sister who works full time, are my carers. I had to move to a ground floor flat as my fatigue is so severe and cannot walk up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath. Collecting health problems; Asthma, Breathing Pattern Disorder, Inducible laryngeal obstruction, chronic fatigue with severe brain fog, chronic migraines and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. I managed to get standard rate of PIP end of last year, however as of the end of this month that is my only income and not sure how am going to pay rent and bills. Awaiting Ill health retirement decision, which I am highly unlikely to get as I am only 39.