Life lessons learned during the battle with long-term COVID

LOCKDOWNS may have been lifted, and mask mandates may have been suspended, but the effects of COVID-19 have been vast and devastating, and they leave a lasting impression on many today. Bahamian families have been ripped apart by the pandemic. In some cases, several members of one family have died due to the coronavirus disease.

About 800 people were reported to have died due to COVID-19 in The Bahamas. In addition to those who have died, others are still suffering from the effects of long-term COVID. It’s something that is not often discussed, but is very real and prevalent, as many people are battling from symptoms that linger long after they contracted the virus.

Mia Campbell is one of them. Her battle with COVID-19 continues 14 months after the first sign of ill health. She is determined to beat the disease that has taken lives and caused suffering and pain to many. While some contracted the disease and experienced mild symptoms that went away, there are others like Mia whose lives have been completely changed by COVID-19. She was a healthy, vibrant business woman with an active lifestyle. While she continues to stand strong and remain positive, she finds herself having to face multiple doctors and tests, and she has been re-admitted to hospital more than once as she fights to regain her former active way of life.

Coronavirus first raised its ugly head in her life around Christmas time: “With the start of Christmas festivities in 2021, my entire family was excited to be able to be together, but still we were taking precautions. So all members of my family, before coming together, did COVID testing. This is when I found out I was positive - on Christmas Eve! At first I felt okay. I only had nasal congestion with slight headaches. But by Boxing Day, I was feeling terrible. I had nasal congestion, headaches, nausea and vomiting, body aches, weakness, everything associated with COVID. I got worse as the days moved on. The symptoms got worse and they were stronger. It was rough as I live alone and had to take care of myself.”

Mia is a woman who has always been striving and independent. A 1993 graduate of St Augustine’s College, Mia spent two years training at the Bahamas Hotel Training College before landing her first job as an Apprentice Chef at Resorts International on Paradise Island. A few years later, Mia went into the financial sector and joined CIBC, where she worked in various positions before joining Unibanco as an executive assistant. She remained at Unibanco until the company closed their doors. Her path then led her to Cedric L Parker and Co where she worked as a legal assistant until 2020. The pandemic hit the country, as it did the world, and due to the changes, many had to adapt and find new ways of supporting themselves. For Mia, it was an opportunity to become an entrepreneur. She opened her business AIM mins, bush medicine and over the counter drugs in an attempt to feel better. Symptoms, she said, wouldbe strong, then weak, then return just as strong as they did on day two. She would force herself to go outside and take walks, or take warm showers in an attempt to feel better. Two weeks later, she took a COVID-19 test which turned out negative. However, Mia says she was having a hard time recovering.

Concierge Services shortly thereafter. It turned out to be a great idea. With many people working from home, they were able to utilise Mia’s services to have items brought to their home. The convenience worked well with the new norm that COVID19 brought about. She was excited about the opportunity, but there was one downside. The travel restrictions affected her ability to visit her son Valin and his family, who reside in the United States. Like many others, Mia resorted to regular video calls to reach out and see her loved ones from afar. Valin Bodie is performing exceptionally in agriculture, and was featured in Face to Face with Felicity in June 2021. Valin is said to be the young est soil scientist in the cannabis industry in the United States. He owns and operates Environmental Soil Solutions (ESS), a soil company which he operates out of Stroud, Oklahoma. ESS sits on a few acres of land, and he is in the process of building the warehouse and office building as his business grows. Clients love the high quality soil mixtures ESS provides. His business has since expanded from just servicing local gardening and retail stores in Tulsa to the entire Oklahoma City, as well as neighbouring states such as Missouri and Arkansas. Valin performs research and development activities, monitoring all progress, as well as preparing and mixing soil for packaging and distribution. He and his wife Keisha have two daughters - Iva and Haelyn.

You should always put family first. Pay attention to your body. Some signs might be minor, but some are showing you a bigger picture

Mia says life has been difficult ever since the first time she contracted the disease. Daily activities were not the same as she struggled to get up to par. She decided to visit a doctor to get professional help:

They are Mia’s world. Family life is very important to her. Born and raised in New Providence, Mia is the eldest child of Estelle and Floyd Campbell. She has two brothers, Eddie and Jake, a sister-in-law, Anastasia, and a nephew, Tre. She is dedicated to her family as well as her friends, and she is known for her warm heart and her willingness to help not only her loved ones, but strangers when she sees people in need. Through her concierge business, she was meeting even more people and finding new ways to get involved with the community.

With so much to live for, Mia took it as a blow when she caught coronavirus during the holidays. After Boxing Day 2021, her initial battle went on for two weeks straight. Like many other Bahamians who experienced COVID, she hereby given that IAN LLEWELLYN YOUNG of P. O. Box N-9494, Nassau East North, New Providence, The Bahamas, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 14th day of February, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.