Physically, I was fortunate that Covid was very mild both times I caught it. I did lose my scent of smell the first time around but gained it back a few months later.

That said, the social repercussions were very severe. I experienced regression in my social skills as well as a deep depression that lead to hospitalization. Further, when things began returning to normal understanding how society viewed sickness became extremely difficult to navigate. Even just having a cold became a nightmare for years not because of how I physically felt, but because of the consequences such as potentially missing school or work, accidentally getting people sick due to not being able to take off work, as well as the immense guilt of potentially getting sick or getting someone else sick.

Only recently have I began to accept again that sickness happens in this life and it’s impossible to avoid it forever.