Art created by kids and young adults with Long Covid.
Art for representation, advocacy and community.
So I have written a lot of poems to express home feeling about Long Covid, but this is when I wrote recently when I was at a creative writing workshop. we had to use a photo from nature that meant something to us and here in Belfast, there’s a really lovely sea park which has a long stretch of beach and me and my best friends from taekwondo to go all the time before I got sick so I wrote a little poem about my feelings around it.
Keren developed long COVID a few weeks after her 1st COVID infection in Jan 2022. She was 5 years old and fully vaccinated. She has slowly recovered over 2 years, but knows that a 2nd COVID infection could bring back her symptoms even worse than before. She does everything she can to avoid a 2nd COVID infection, including masking indoors at all times and avoiding large crowds. She distinctly remembers the day that she woke up and couldn't walk at age 5 - and how sick and tired she felt for 2 years. She still sandwiches activity with rest and has learned how to listen to her body and rest when needed. Keren drew our house, complete with Mommy and Daddy (and maybe a younger sister and dog in there too), showing where she rests when she doesn't feel well. She hopes for a day with better COVID vaccines and treatments for kids so that she never has to worry about contracting COVID again and experiencing a return of her debilitating symptoms.