Coronavirus survivors reveal how support groups helped them heal
As many infected with the coronavirus have discovered, physical symptoms of the illness are only part of the battle, and it’s the emotional toll that many say they were unprepared for.
Some seek out therapy or find comfort with friends and family, but connecting with others who are sick or have recovered has become a lifeline for many who are making connections through online support groups.
Yahoo Life spoke with members of these groups who shared what it’s like to be sick, as well as how these communities have helped them heal.
“The purpose of a support group like this is to have a community where you feel safe with other people who are not going to judge you and who are not going to try to put you in a category,” Kate Daly, 45, tells Yahoo Life.
Daly says that she’s been battling coronavirus symptoms since early March, and turned to a Facebook support group to find others like herself.
Jay Sinrod, a television producer from New York, started the group Daly and others belong to after family members fell ill.
“There is absolutely no substitute for learning about COVID-19 from those suffering from the virus,” says Sinrod. “I want people to feel hope and comfort and to be assured they are not alone,” he added.
“We all really act like a family,” said Danny Haro, 21, who tested positive for COVID-19 on April 5th.
Haro joined a group started by Fiona Lowenstein, a New York City-based writer, producer, and founder of Body Politic, a queer feminist wellness collective.
Lowenstein says she formed the group along with her colleague after the two became sick in early March.
“I quickly realized that there was not enough online content or resources dedicated to people struggling with coronavirus,” says Lowenstein. “When you're struggling to get your employer to understand why your recovery isn't taking two weeks like the WHO says it should, validation from others experiencing the same struggles can be really helpful.”
Gilda Oliveira, 38, was 27 weeks into her pregnancy when she got sick, and experienced symptoms so severe that she was hospitalized, put into a medically induced coma, and needed the aid of a ventilator for three days.
“The last thing I do remember before they put me on the ventilator was they were saying that, if worse comes to worse, they would do anything they could to avoid it, but they would probably have to induce [labor],” says Oliveira, who is now at home and recovering.
Jessica Stapleton, 37, revealed the toll her illness has taken on her family.
“I have two young girls and this is very scary for them,” she says. “We actually taped off my door with painter’s tape to show them that they weren’t allowed to cross that and my youngest would sit there and read or just lay there and watch mommy. It’s very difficult.”
“I do believe [being a part of a support group] truly helped me because I was beginning to go to a dark place because I felt like I was by myself going through this,” says Leslie Rowls, 42
“No one has been through this,” says Jared Mercier, 35. “To be able to talk to anyone else who is on the same page with you has been a really good thing.”
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC’s and WHO’s resource guides.
