My son Arthur, 10 years old, has been suffering from Long Covid for several years.
At the beginning, in 2023, it was the stomach aches that prevented him from attending school from time to time. He was very tired but still managed to follow a normal school routine, apart from a few absences.
However, he was no longer able to do sports. Before the end of the session he had to stop because he didn’t feel well… It was impossible for him to continue his swimming or aikido classes despite really wanting to.
Although in the summer of 2024 he seemed to have regained some strength, in the autumn, after yet another infection, he completely crashed… His most intrusive symptoms are severe fatigue, headaches and stomach aches, post-exertional malaise, and many cognitive difficulties (especially with concentration and memory…). He attended school half-time in January, but even that took too much energy and triggered a lot of crashes. So he was signed off school full-time until the end of the year.
What suffering for a child of his age to have to rest for such a large part of his time, despite wanting to do so many things… How many post-exertional crashes we have had to deal with after a small activity, even one done with joy… How hard it is to face pain every single day… How painful it is to still be told in 2025 by some doctors that “it’s psychological”… How distressing to find that only in Italy is there a paediatrician who can take care of children with Long Covid—fortunately, he offers teleconsultations (in English, however).
We are nonetheless very fortunate to have a Belgian paediatrician who is open-minded and understanding. Even though she has no treatment to offer us, she at least allows Arthur to take the time he needs to rest and to give himself the best possible chance to recover with dignity.
The non-profit organisation “École Hôpital Domicile” (EHD.be) has also helped us a lot. A retired teacher came to our home free of charge to teach Arthur whenever his condition allowed. He was very helpful, competent and understanding, and Arthur was able to take his assessments at home, which allowed him to pass his fourth year of primary school.
It was very intense for him and so difficult to be confronted with the decline in his cognitive abilities right in the middle of his school learning years… We therefore decided to spread his fifth year of primary school over two years and are starting a new school year with two mornings of in-person classes and the EHD teacher coming to the house.
All this with a mother who has also been suffering from Long Covid for 5 years…
Arthur is very brave despite all the difficulties he faces. Follow-up with a psychologist and a really great physiotherapist is also helping him. We can only hope that researchers will find a treatment that can give all the young patients with paediatric Long Covid their childhood back…
My testimony would not be complete if I forgot to mention the suffering of parents faced with the powerlessness of not being able to help their child… The worry for them in the short term and for their future… The exhaustion of caring for a sick child with such intense needs…
Arthur’s mum – Belgium
