Understanding long Covid will take the lived experiences of long haulers

I went from training for the Big Sur 21-miler to barely being able to climb a flight of stairs in just six months. The cause? Covid-19 or, more specifically, long Covid. As a researcher, I want to know how this happened and, more importantly, how to fix it. I’m not alone. The “fix it” question is on the minds of as many as 23 million Americans and 100 million people worldwide who have experienced long Covid, which has emerged as a new chronic illness. In August 2021, two members of my household tested positive for Covid. Being fully vaccinated, I didn’t test myself but, between the exposure and developing a number of Covid symptoms, saw the writing on the wall.