The Friends Who Show Up: Love Letters to the Long Covid Community

What does it really mean to be supported when you're living with Long Covid? In this special community episode, I share stories submitted by long haulers, caregivers, and allies...real voices answering questions about isolation, chosen family, and the kind of help that actually helps.

Contributors include Dr. Julia Moore Vogel, pacing buddy extraordinaire Katrina Dreamer, Nina Storey, Katherine Fox, and members of the Covid Long Haulers podcast Discord, (Thank you to Emerson, Jessie, Mika, Vic, Kai, Robyn, Joyce, Jojo, and more) along with a handful of anonymous long haulers who remind us that sometimes the people who understand us most are the ones whose legs we've never seen.

This episode explores what it looks like when community shows up: friends attending doctor's appointments to combat medical gaslighting, online friends building their own Covid-conscious community across Switzerland, a rental cat named Katja who has thoughts about pacing, and two little boys - Ellis and Holden - who became besties on PlayStation because their moms both have Long Covid and, as Ellis put it, "we understand each other."

Contributors also talk about what people get wrong when they try to help, and what "let me know if you need anything" actually sounds like to someone who's already been fighting for their life for years.

This is an episode about what we've built together. Not in spite of this illness, but because of it.

Topics covered include:

• Long COVID community and chosen family
• Isolation and online support for long haulers
• What caregivers and loved ones get wrong about support
• Covid-conscious community building
• Peer support, pacing buddies, and mutual aid
• Children of long haulers finding connection
• Long Covid Awareness Month 2026

Mentioned or featured in this episode:

• The Covid Long Haulers Podcast (Emerson & Jessie)
• Dr. Julia Moore Vogel
• Nina Storey (singer-songwriter & long hauler)
• Katrina Dreamer (my pacing buddy, ep. 1, season 2 & season 3)
• Lissy Donovan (long hauler and business owner, ep. 9, season 3)
• @alecbradburyfnp, @_jemma_bella, @dougieslifewithmecfs

📞 The Long Haul Line: 720-432-9368! Call or text to share a story, suggest a guest, or just say hi!📧 Email: afriendforthelonghaul@gmail.com📬 Substack: f4lh.substack.com

I'm also on Instagram.

A Friend for the Long Haul is a low budget/high love production made by a disabled one-woman operation. If it means something to you, share it with someone whose earballs need it. Thank you!