A previously fit and healthy teen has missed school for almost two years now due to long COVID. Hayden, who hails from Elvington, near Dover, said that his life has completely changed after he caught the coronavirus back in December 2020.
Hayden once enjoyed sports such as judo and swimming, but the 15-year-old must now use a wheelchair because of his illness. He is largely bedridden nowadays with symptoms such as severe fatigue.
He told BBC News that he wakes up every day and he is really drained. He added that it is like he had woken up and ran a couple of marathons. Hayden's mom, Katherine, said that it feels like no one has been able to help her teen son.
Katherine launches GoFundMe page for sick son
The worried mother said that it is like her child is on the subs bench and he is just watching his childhood being played out. Dr David Strain, who is an expert on long COVID, said that few facts were known about the illness.
The senior lecturer at the University of Exeter medical school added that they believe long COVID for many people is caused by the coronavirus not being cleared fully. Strain said this leaves people sick with COVID in a cycle of a significant flu-like illness.
According to government figures, more than 2 million people have experienced symptoms of long COVID. About 330,000 people within this figure said that their day-to-day activities have been limited.
Katherine has launched a GoFundMe page in order to pay for the specialist private treatment for her son Hayden. She aims to raise £20,000 with people donating £6,162 thus far. According to Katherine's post, Hayden experienced lots of headaches, fatigue and lack of smell since he caught COVID in December 2020.
Hayden struggling with long COVID
He then experienced increased episodes of dizziness and complained of not being able to make a sentence as the weeks passed. Katherine said Hayden is a grammar school boy who has always loved learning, and when she found her son crying in his bedroom, unable even to start his homework, she was shocked and confused.
Katherine noted that Hayden's neurological symptoms multiplied and reminded her of her late father when he had dementia. Katherine said that Hayden is now in bed for 18 hours each day because of long COVID. She said that reading has always been one of her son's passions, but COVID has stolen that from Hayden. He now experiences concentration and cognitive problems and struggles with brain fog.
She said that she is fundraising to enable her son to have the opportunity to go to the Portland Hospital in London for treatment. Katherine said that they have a fantastic, forward-thinking neurologist who is already helping other kids with long COVID recover.
