Help Joe Fight Long COVID

On March 6, 2020, my younger brother Joe collapsed in the middle of a grocery store while on a work trip in Utah, far from any family or friends. This was only the first in many near-fainting episodes Joe experienced, stemming from his condition of Long Covid. Unfortunately, it took over a year and a half for Joe to even receive that diagnosis - much less the specific treatment for this relatively unknown illness. Over the course of the past 22 months, Joe has been fighting through symptoms of extreme fatigue, cognitive impairment, vertigo, and Pancreatic Insufficiency. At times he has been house ridden, unable to even make it to the end of the driveway without waves of dizziness and fatigue overtaking him. He has had to make massive lifestyle, career, and dietary changes due to this combination of Long COVID and new pancreatic condition. 


We know that Joe’s symptoms can improve. Over the summer of 2021 he started to gain his energy back and even landed his dream job as a Podcast Producer/Host for a travel company. Sadly, over that summer both of our grandmothers passed away. In order to grieve and support family, Joe moved back to Portland and started to work remotely. The stress of mourning and the upheaval in his work life sent his illness into a downward spiral.

Since his diagnosis of Long Covid in October 2021, Joe has been working with a team of doctors including physical therapists, speech pathologists, and pancreatic specialists in order to treat the myriad of symptoms that the illness still plagues him with. Luckily, he was referred to work with these wonderful providers at the COVID Recovery Clinic at Providence. Unfortunately, his Providence insurance only covers a fraction of the unexpectedly high medical costs. Even worse, as his condition has recently reached a new low, he has become completely unable to work. If he has not improved significantly by March, he will lose his employer provided health insurance entirely.


In December 2021 alone, Joe’s medical costs reached over $6,500. We have seen in the past how stress can affect the condition of his symptoms with Long Covid, and his doctors have confirmed that heightened stress is one of the greatest risk factors for setbacks in those suffering from Long Covid. I can only imagine how stressful it is to have medical bills piling up with the looming possibility of losing health insurance entirely –  and having to choose between treatment and years worth of debt. Now is the time for Joe’s community to step up and support him.


Joe is a great brother, son, friend, and entertainer. He has always been a shining beacon of hope and light for his friends and family. He spreads words of positivity and self-acceptance to those near and far. Joe’s light is still there, but it has been dimmed these past two years. This page has been set up to help raise money to assist with Joe's medical bills and future treatment costs. We hope that you can be a part of supporting Joe's recovery. If you are unable to contribute monetarily, please share this GoFundMe and send Joe words of encouragement to help him through this difficult time. 


Thank you, 

Sam Glasgow & Michaela McNairy