Valérie wishes her children didn't have so much responsibility.
Written testimony
Là ils sont rendus ados maintenant, mais j’aurais aimé qu’ils aient une enfance/adolescence plus douce, avec moins de responsabilité, je dirais. Parce que veux, veux pas, même si on leur ne demande pas continuellement de m’aider ou quoique ce soit, ils vont le faire d’emblée parce que… pour que ça continue à fonctionner, à rouler dans la maison, mais ils n’ont comme pas vraiment le choix. Fait que je trouve que ça, ça a un impact qui est vraiment très grave … . Mais les enfants des personnes qui ont la COVID longue comme mes enfants, c’est vraiment quelque chose. Ils doivent vraiment s’adapter à la situation puis ça leur amène des contraintes, que normalement les enfants n’ont pas. Fait que l’impact est immense …
[They’re teenagers now, but I wish they’d had a gentler childhood/adolescence, with less responsibility, I’d say. Because even if you don’t continually ask them to help me or anything, they’re going to do it right away because … to keep things running, to keep things rolling around the house, they don’t really have a choice. So I find that it has an impact that’s really very serious … The children of people with long COVID, like my children, it’s really something. They really have to adapt to the situation, and it brings with it constraints that children don’t normally have. So the impact is immense.] Translation from original French.
More content
- Mental Health Support – ValérieValérie had limited mental health support because she had to pay out of pocket.
- Getting Care for Long COVID – ValérieValérie made repeat visits to ER because she couldn't get help elsewhere.
- Complementary and Alternative Care – ValérieValérie gained a sense of control over her symptoms with the help of her kinesiologist.
- Support From Family, Friends, Communities – ValérieValérie notices her supporters running out of steam.
- Impacts on Children and Parenting – ValérieValérie wishes her children didn't have so much responsibility.
- Loss of Income and Need for Financial Support – ValérieValérie is afraid of falling into the hole of an unrecognized illness.
- Loss of Income and Need for Financial Support – ValérieValérie was studying to become a teacher. There was no teaching during lockdown so she was not entitled to employment insurance.
- People with Long COVID Advocating for Themselves – ValérieValérie is fighting to get her disability recognized after her application for social assistance was refused.
- Advice to Others Living With Long COVID – ValérieValérie warns that pushing yourself too hard can have long-term negative consequences.
- Psychosocial Impacts – ValérieValérie hits the wall emotionally every time her symptoms flare up.