Over the past six years, we’ve read countless stories of those affected by Long COVID: people living with it, parents whose children are living with it, caretakers, doctors, researchers, and more.
However, we haven’t seen many narratives about — or for — kids whose family members have Long COVID. Author and educator Sara Robitaille seeks to change that with her two new children’s books, Long COVID Transformed My Mommy and Long COVID Transformed My Sister into a Turtle.
Both books were illustrated by Sandra Thomas and are published by Dottie Lonie Publishing. Portions of the books’ proceeds will be donated to the Bateman Horne Center and advocacy organizations Long COVID Kids and Long Covid Families.
Robitaille is “a mom living with disabling Long COVID,” and her books, which use playful descriptions and whimsical art to show what life with Long COVID feels like, are tools she uses to educate her own children.
“I really hope these books can get into homes, libraries, schools, and healthcare offices around the country as I am pretty sure most kids and families have never read a book about Long COVID,” Robitaille wrote to The Sick Times.
In Long COVID Transformed My Mommy, Robitaille compares the symptoms of Long COVID to the feelings a zebra might have while being chased by a lion (her nervous system is stuck in fight or flight); a turtle who doesn’t want to come out of its shell (she prefers cozy places, without bright lights or noise); a hummingbird (her heart races so fast she gets dizzy); and a hibernating bear (it’s hard to drag herself out of bed). She also invites her children to see her in hopeful images, like superheroes and candles in the dark, saving the last few pages of the book to reassure kids that “mommies with chronic illness are still mommies.”
On one of the most moving pages of the book, we see Robitaille’s two children cuddled up in her bed with her, as opposed to the images we often see of parents tucking their children into their own beds.
Long COVID Transformed My Sister into a Turtle is written in a similar style, but features a sibling who constantly feels like they’re under attack from a villain in a video game. Other pages show a battery in a remote control car that won’t hold a charge and a whack-a-mole game where you never know which symptom is going to pop its head out of the hole on any given day. Like Long COVID Transformed My Mommy, Robitaille uses the last third of the book to infuse a sense of agency into siblings who have Long COVID, comparing them to detectives on a treasure hunt for cures and superheroes who are “brave, creative, and [don’t] give up.”
“It’s really validating to see yourself reflected in a book when dealing with such a difficult illness,” Robitaille told us. “I hope more families can feel seen and know they are not alone in their experience.”
It’s really validating to see yourself reflected in a book when dealing with such a difficult illness. I hope more families can feel seen and know they are not alone in their experience.
Sara RobitaillE
