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The People Who Care for Covid-19 Long-Haulers
How relationships are tested and strengthened over the course of the pandemic
When people ask how Sunik and I got through Covid-19 together, I usually start by talking about the hospital chair. It was more of a stool really — backless, with wheels that didn’t seem to lock, and Sunik, my partner of five years, sat in it for 10 hours straight while I lay nearby waiting to be hospitalized. I remember, between short bouts of sleep and visits from hospital staff, opening my eyes to see Sunik sitting on that stool, all night long. I remember them leaning against the cement wall and nodding off only to be awakened by the stool slipping away from the wall yet again. I think I often talk about the stool because it came to represent a lot for me — the overwhelmed health care system that couldn’t accommodate us, the precarious and uncomfortable nature of that night, and most of all, Sunik’s devoted care for me.
My first Covid-19 symptoms appeared on March 13. By March 16, I was too short of breath to walk or speak. Sunik gave me a write-on-wipe-off board, and I used it to detail my symptoms as Sunik spoke on the phone with my doctor. Sunik packed spare underwear and a phone charger in my backpack. Sunik wrapped a T-shirt around my face and held me up on the walk from the car to Mount Sinai’s door. And…
