LCK In The News

Parent and Charity CEO Sammie McFarland discusses the need for Paediatric Biomedical Research, the importance of research that involves the patient experience and unhelpful media headlines which do not accurately reflect study data (1hr8)
Alun shares parental experiences (from 2hrs8) and also interviews Professor Alwan who notes that a study solely of healthcare records can limit findings. She states the study reports that breathlessness, weakness, concentration and memory problems were higher in the study group than the control group.
Louise Whapshott, parent, discusses the Long Covid symptoms and history of her children "Their lives have been put on hold... They just exist at the moment".

Tillie Adams, from East London, has been suffering with the symptoms of long Covid for over two years. She tested positive for Covid at the end of 2020 and after recovering from cold symptoms and has continued to suffer from sickness, stomach pains and fatigue.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain with her feeding tube, Tillie said she is most excited for 'going to school and doing PE' when her health recovers.
70,000 children are estimated to be suffering from long Covid, 43000 of whom have had symptoms for more than a year.

13 year-old Pixie lives in York and caught the virus just over a year ago but still comes home from school exhausted and has aches and pains. Pixie said "Since January it's just gone up and down, in Summer I feel better, in Winter I feel awful because I just come home and I'm in pain, I get cold and I can't go to school."
Her Mum Mary says it's heart-breaking to see her daughter still unwell after all this time. She is also calling for more research into the condition.
Dr Sarah Baz from the University of York said “We need more investment in LC healthcare support, improved access to services and greater recognition for the condition. We must also address mistrust in healthcare services amongst ethnic minorities to provide them better support."

12-year-old Tillie Adams says she's desperate to get her old life back after more than two years of suffering with long Covid.
Tillie was hospitalised with Covid-19 in December 2020 and her weight plummeted, she now needs a feeding tube. She still struggles with sickness, pain and exhaustion two years later.

The most common symptoms of long COVID in children are fatigue and headaches, but young people can also have a range of other symptoms including chest pain, persistent cough, dizziness, nausea, abdominal pain, anxiety and low mood.
We don’t know whether all children with long COVID will recover or how long this will take. Parents’ narratives suggest that symptoms may fluctuate over time, and that it’s not uncommon to have a period of apparent recovery and then relapse some months later.
Binita Kane and Tracy Briggs share tips based on their own experiences as parents supporting children with Long Covid.