It all starts with sharing. If our governments are truly for the people by the people, then it’s the people and their voices that can and should shape our future. If our future doesn’t include #longcovid and #chronicillness pleas, then our future will be one starved of compassion, and one riddled with physical, emotional, economic and societal hardships, lacking any true, meaningful support of humanity. And what good is government if it doesn’t support its people?
Long Covid is a new chronic illness but not the first. The changes needed have been demanded by various chronic illness communities for *decades* (if not longer) and their pleas have consistently gone on deaf ears. This isn’t new. This isn’t a unique fight. This is precisely why it needs to STOP with Long Covid.
Since Covid-19 is new and a very real and serious current threat, and since Long Covid (the chronic trajectory of Covid-19) is starting to make more and more people aware of the seriousness of chronic illness (and many invisible), I’m hopeful that we can turn this plight into a catalyst for long over-due change.
Some disability advocates feel territorial about their years of advocacy and see our pleas as upsetting since our words are misinterpreted as focusing on a “new problem”. But that’s ego talking and I hope that’s understood.
This fight has the opportunity to help us all via recognition and positive change. This is fresh in the world and the time to strike is now, with millions globally, suddenly and rapidly falling into chronic illness. That’s a LOT of people in a short span of time becoming chronically disabled. That’s why our pleas matter, and that’s why our efforts are in solidarity with the entire chronic illness community.
This virus may be invisible, but its damages are not. Pretending these issues will go away on their own and can simply be swept under the proverbial rug is just as foolish as pretending that a mask won’t help protect you from #covid_19.
And pretending the needs of chronic illness communities will be remedied without strong advocacy from ALL - healthy allies and the entire chronic illness community - is as silly as thinking “your vote doesn’t matter”.