Support Fetema Wilson

I contracted COVID-19 in late October of 2022, which left me exhausted and dragging for the rest of the year. By January, I needed paramedics to transport me to the hospital. I had no idea what was going on. I was later diagnosed with Long COVID/Long Haul COVID. It was unreal as I was off work for months for treatment and was told that it could take up to 2 years to fully recover. No one really knew the answer since this COVID-19 and Long COVID were, and still are, so new to the world. Providers have now extended the recovery timetable to unknown to reflect new knowledge that some people are still unwell after 3 years of this illness.

Slowly, I made improvements and was cleared by my doctor to return to work. In September of 2023, I relapsed without warning into previous symptoms and new ones, too. So many of my body’s systems struggled to communicate with my brain. The challenges have been unreal as I function like a Stroke, Parkinson, and Addison’s patient on different days and moments throughout the day. Memory, word finding, processing, breathing, fine and gross motor skills have all suffered. Extreme fatigue known as post exertion malaise, has also limited my abilities, so much so that I have been unable to return to work. Both physical and cognitive uses of energy quickly overly stimulate me and cause exorbitant withdrawals of energy and stamina.

My goals are simple: to beat this health condition, to be able bodied with returned healthily cognitive functioning, to be able to live independently, return to a full life which includes being able to maintain a career. This condition is not one size fits all and answers are still being sought out since the world has recently been introduced to the virus that causes Long COVID.

I have a plethora of specialists who are working hard to find treatment options. Throughout this process, my body has also become atrophied which has added to difficulties with daily functioning. Consistently, physical, occupational, and speech therapists are aiding me in working towards small victories on this unpredictable journey. Recently, one of my providers informed me about significant research that supports Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for Long COVID recovery.

HBOT decreases inflammation that Long COVID caused which has affected neurotransmitters and their ability to communicate. This therapy also helps to heal damage that the condition has caused near the heart. HBOT acts as an antiviral, anti-bacterial, and antifungal agent. It has been shown to reduce pain significantly, alleviate sleep dysfunction, and reduce cognitive impairment. It also increases energy, and increases the body’s white blood cell activity, boosting the immune system and promoting healing.

This experience is not only mentally, emotionally, and physically draining, but financially as well considering wages which have been lost and the prolonged expense of extensive medical care. Humbly, I ask for you to come alongside me and help me to heal by making donations for this treatment to Sara’s Garden which is a non-profit facility in Northwest Ohio. Here the treatment is only $150 per treatment, as opposed to $1,500-2,500 per treatment at a hospital. Unfortunately, my insurance does not cover this treatment. In the United States, insurance companies do not recognize HBOT as being therapeutic for the treatment of Long COVID, especially since it is so new to the world. Since my plan is to receive at least 40 HBOT treatments, that cost adds up quickly. I could really use your help!

If you could assist me with the cost (or even just part of the cost) of a single $150 treatment it would help reduce my overall expenses greatly. 100% of the funds received will go into an account in my name and will be used for my treatments. Any contribution made would be considered a tax-deductible donation as Sara’s Garden is a 501(c)(3) non-profit facility. Checks can be made out to Sara’s Garden with my name written on a sheet of paper accompanying the check. Please DO NOT write my name directly on the check itself. You can also donate securely online via credit card by clicking on the DONATE NOW button below.

Thank you so much for considering making donations towards my treatments at Sara’s Garden. I am grateful for your thoughtfulness.

Kindest regard,

Fetema Wilson