BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - March 28,2020: Just two and a half weeks ago, I was a healthy 36 year old entrepreneur, divorcee, and mother of a beautiful 10 year old daughter.

I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the first covid case had just been announced in our state. I was at work in my private salon studio as usual, but taking extra precautions to protect myself and my clients.

I had no pre-existing health conditions. But then it happened. A tickle in my throat, and a mild cough. I had no idea what I was in for.

It wasn’t until my mind was going crazy with strange thoughts, and I was so weak that I could hardly lift my head, that I decided to go to the ER. I could hardly even stand. When I reached the worst part of it I thought I was going to die. I kept saying, “God please don’t let me die."

I asked God to watch over my daughter and to help my family and friends get through this. That night, a nurse I hadn’t seen before, came in, and she said “I don’t know if you believe in God but you have to pray.” The next day, it was as if the light was switched on, and I started feeling better. Saturday morning, exactly 7 days after being admitted, I sat up on the side of my bed without the oxygen, and as I was doing so, my nurse walked in. Then, she helped me to get up and walk. In that moment, my doctor walked in and was completely shocked! She actually did a dance and said, “Bye! You can go home!! You are my FIRST COVID DISCHARGE! I will remember you FOREVER!”

Joanna is a mother and hairdresser in Baton Rouge.

3 MONTH CHECK-IN - July 9, 2020: Months later Joanna is still struggling with COVID’s impact on her body. Below are some of her post-COVID posts on Instagram.