COMING SOON: A COVID ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Five Years Later: The Pandemic, The Forgotten, and The Fight for Recognition

March 2025 marks five years since the world shut down, and while some have tucked the pandemic neatly into the past (as if we all just went on a really bad gap year), for many, the repercussions are far from over. This month, we’re diving deep into the stories, the struggles, and the absolute governmental faceplants that defined the experience of the chronically ill and disabled during the pandemic—and continue to shape their lives today.

What’s Coming Up This Month?

 The Forgotten Vulnerable: Remember when shielding meant “stay inside or risk your life,” and then suddenly… nothing? We’ll explore how the chronically ill navigated a world that, at best, ignored them and, at worst, treated them like an acceptable loss.

 Long COVID: The Illness No One Wanted to Acknowledge: Five years on, Long COVID is still wrecking lives while governments and medical institutions drag their feet on research and support. We’ll break down the overlaps with ME/CFS and other chronic conditions—and why this conversation is long overdue.

Medical Gaslighting: “Are You Sure It’s Not Just Anxiety?” If you’ve ever been told your debilitating symptoms are just a case of the jitters, you’re not alone. This piece will tackle the dismissal of chronic illness by medical professionals and why patients had to become their own advocates (again).

 The State of Healthcare, or What’s Left of It: A look at how the pandemic broke healthcare systems—and how those already hanging by a thread were the first to feel the effects.

 Community, Activism & Mutual Aid: Because if governments won’t step up, people will. From online support networks to grassroots advocacy, we highlight the groups who kept people alive when official institutions fell flat on their faces.

March will be a month of reflection, frustration, and, yes, some necessary dark humor. Because if we can’t laugh at the absurdity of politicians claiming “we’re back to normal” while millions are still struggling, we might just scream instead.

Stay tuned. This is a conversation that isn’t over—because it never should have been in the first place.