Parts of Tracey Thompson\u2019s home are papered with notes.<\/p>\n
Post-its and sheets of paper are pinned to her fridge and bookshelves, chronicling everything from doctor\u2019s appointments to errands and upcoming tasks \u2014 physical reminders of what the 57-year-old says her brain can no longer keep track.<\/p>\n
Five years after the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>, Thompson has become one of the faces of long COVID, her journey chronicled by numerous news articles.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand why more folks aren\u2019t willing to be interviewed because they can garner a lot of negative attention,\u201d she told the Star. \u201cWhile telling my story can feel repetitive and is often stressful, there are still folks who don\u2019t know what\u2019s wrong with them or what the risks are, so I feel obligated to keep talking.\u201d<\/p>\n Her profile may be higher than most, but Thompson is far from alone.<\/p>\n Thousands of Canadians have had their lives upturned by long COVID, or Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC) \u2014 a collection of symptoms that continue or develop three months after the initial infection and last for at least two months with no other explanation, according to the World Health Organization<\/a>.<\/p>\n The condition has been linked to more than 200 symptoms, the most common including fatigue, cognitive issues like brain fog and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear, persist, disappear or reappear<\/a> after an initial recovery, and can range from mild to severe, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Parts of Tracey Thompson\u2019s home are papered with notes.<\/p>\n Post-its and sheets of paper are pinned to her fridge and bookshelves, chronicling everything from doctor\u2019s appointments to errands and upcoming tasks \u2014 physical reminders of what the 57-year-old says her brain can no longer keep track.<\/p>\n