“I love you, my beautiful Julie. Your not-so-natural helper :)))”
These are the concluding words of a touching tribute to his girlfriend that Matthieu Préfontaine sent me at 5:51 a.m. Saturday morning.
That morning, reading my column on the three years of the pandemic and all those for whom the return to “normal” is impossible, the insurance broker felt overwhelmed with emotion.1. He thought of his beautiful Julie, suffering from long COVID, who impresses him day after day with her steely morale.
Since the long COVID, which affects 10 to 20% of patients with COVID-192, entered her life in January 2022, Julie Pinard, her 45-year-old “superwoman”, an accomplished businesswoman, jogger and swimmer, is no more than a shadow of herself. Illness forced her to stop everything. To cope with the pain and extreme fatigue that overwhelms her, she spends most of her days lying down.
From specialist to specialist, Julie, who was adequately vaccinated and had no previous health problems, tries to find a glimmer of hope.
She does not know how long her crossing of the desert will last. The prognosis received last December – little or no possibility of a cure unless a scientific discovery – led her to begin a new chapter in her life. A chapter where, instead of waiting for the return of “the old Julie”, he had to accept that nothing would ever be the same and try to see the good side of things.
Matthieu, by his side, propelled into a life of caregiver for which he did not feel at all prepared at 49, is blown away by his resilience.
“Despite everything, Julie keeps her sense of humor, documents herself and takes part in all the Zoom international on COVID long. She manages her illness like a research center. »
As a child, he was marked by the books of Grolier A good example of… telling the true story of inspiring personalities. Louis Pasteur for self-confidence, Marie Curie for the thirst for knowledge…
“If there were to be a book A good example of resiliencefor me, it would definitely be Julie Pinard,” he told me, moved.
What is the secret of Julie Pinard’s resilience?
“I am very touched by Matthieu’s words. I know he’s talking about me, but I think I’m quite normal. Who is this super girl? ! I would love to know her! Julie replied humbly.
She wasn’t sure she had enough energy to talk to me out loud. On a “good” day, she spends 22 hours lying down and can make a call and exchange a few texts.
“On a bad day, I’m in bed for 11:45 p.m.…no phone, no texting, no bath. Meals that are easy to eat and digest. I re-listen to audiobooks or podcasts with one person speaking, no music. In darkness and silence. The suffering of these days is hardly tolerable. »
I was lucky to have a “good” day. While the many long COVID sufferers are often forgotten in our rush to get back to ‘normal’, Julie was happy to have the opportunity to bear witness to her harrowing reality. Not to complain about it, but to make people aware of the risks of COVID and the need to support both patients and caregivers who are not all lucky enough to be surrounded as well as Matthieu and her. “In our communities, we can all help someone. »
I ask him to tell me about the old Julie and the new Julie.
“I think I had a wonderful life. I am very proud, looking back, to have benefited enormously from life. »
The former Julie was vice-president of sales for a large company. Thanks to this job, she had the chance to travel around the world. She also did a lot of sports. She was the unifier both within her family, her circle of friends and at work.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Julie Pinard
It’s a big change when you’re used to taking care of everyone, being everywhere at the same time. And suddenly, you can’t even take care of yourself anymore.
Julie Pinard
Overnight, trivial things have become mountains.
“Before, my brain was like a big computer capable of accumulating a ton of information and making sorts, hypotheses and connections without really having to put in any effort. »
With the long COVID, the big computer must brave episodes of mental fog. “It’s changeable, like the sky. There are times when it’s very, very blue in my head and I know that my abilities are there, somewhere, that I can do great things. But it’s exhausting and it doesn’t last long. »
Julie comes back to my question about the secret of resilience. “I didn’t try to be resilient… I adapted. »
Adapting means recognizing your limits and not going beyond them. It’s accepting that you need help pushing your wheelchair, cooking meals, washing your hair, walking your dog. It’s putting a cross on going out, restaurants, parties without it being sad. It’s asking those close to them to adjust too and not to wait for the return of “the old Julie”.
“I prefer people going through this adventure with me than waiting for me to be healed. Even if I recover, I will never be that girl again. You can’t be the same person after going through such an ordeal. »
Some patients say long COVID is like being undead. “But it’s about being able to manage our expectations, to change our horizon. To marvel at things you didn’t have time to see before. Like that big crow I hear croaking outside his window. “I find her wonderful. She is so beautiful ! »
Julie sometimes feels that her old life, although completely different, prepared her for this ordeal. “When I was doing crisis management, you always had to have a plan B, a plan C… Have the ability to turn around and act. »
“Is it going to last? Will there ever be a day when I hit a wall? I see so much distress around me that I say to myself: one day, maybe it’s me who will be in distress… Does our resilience have an expiration date? I hope not. »