My daughter and the teenage thief called Long Covid| Long Covid Awareness Day

It all began in November’21,

Our first family encounter with Covid had begun.

Then again for Esmé Eve,

The following February half term, I do believe.

This time was different, she was not even ill,

None of the symptoms to fit the bill.

A positive test confirmed the case,

Thanks to an ONS study to help track and trace.

The fatigue appeared rapidly, then started to grow,

A nap here and there and then hours in a row.

The football she loved became hard to play,

10 mins on the pitch, her energy would creep away.

Even watching at home was now not fun,

Falling asleep without caring who’d even won.

‘My pen is too heavy,’ she used to declare,

Much to my annoyance and total despair.

‘Don’t be so dramatic and give it a try,’

I said through gritted teeth and an ignorant sigh.

Month upon month we pushed her along,

Now realising that this was so very wrong.

Then I panicked ‘there may be something more sinister here,’

The thought of which filled me with dread and fear.

So off to the doctors, for numerous tests,

We need to know what a professional suggests.

Eventually the call came, she received the "all clear",

But the question remained, why was her fatigue so severe?

Long Covid, the culprit, was finally declared,

A phew and thank goodness was widely shared.

But all too soon that bubble burst,

As we realised that this condition has not been rehearsed.

There is no cure, nor immediate relief,

It's basically like a teenage thief.

She should be with friends, out having a blast,

Instead, she’s home resting, as the hospital asked.

We see glimmers of hope, she’s not so depressed,

And sometimes, at the weekend, she even gets dressed!

But everything is now much harder than before,

And until the day they find a cure,

We’ll take the hospitals advice, to pace and rest,

Hoping it returns Esmé to the best.

The best that she could ever be,

And 100% Long Covid free.

She doesn’t require sympathy, just a little helping hand,

To navigate this condition, we are all still trying to understand.

So please don’t think she’s being idle or just plain lazy,

That doesn’t help Esmé, in fact it drives her crazy.

This emotion plays a damaging role,

On her cognitive health, it takes its toll.

And there the vicious cycle starts,

So please treat her carefully, with a caring heart.

Poem by Sam about her daughter who is living with Long Covid.

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