Recovering from COVID-19: Christina Love and daughter Emma

Juneau residents Christina Love and her daughter, 6-year-old Emma, share their experience of being sick with COVID-19: “The COVID makes your tummy hurt and it makes you sleepy, and you don’t want to get out of bed, you’re so tired. And it can hurt you very badly and it can also kill people. But I’m lucky and my mom is lucky, because we didn’t die,” Emma said.

The worst part for Christina was the difficulty breathing, and the pain and tightness in her chest. As a sick parent, she also dealt with a lot of emotional turmoil: “We were both sick together. Nobody else could be here. There were a lot of different thoughts that I had, ‘What if I get too sick and I won’t be able to take care of her?’ or ‘What happens if one of us has to go into the hospital and be separated?’” Hear more from Christina and Emma on what it’s like having COVID-19 – including how they got it, tested for it, and the journey through recovery – on KTOO Public Media’s Juneau Afternoon episode, “COVID in the margins.” Listen here. 

On the episode, Christina also talks with Kimberly Sumner, a survivor and advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault awareness. Sumner explains how COVID-19 has changed the way survivors of intimate violence are able to reach out for support, something that was already challenging pre-pandemic, and how friends and family can respond. 

For parents and caregivers who may be wondering some of the same things Christina was, Alaska Health and Social Services offers the Circle of Support COVID-19 Family Planning resource.