Whitney Gibb contracted COVID-19 in July 2020 and developed severe long COVID symptoms. Previously an active medical device professional who helped train neurosurgeons on spinal procedures, she experienced extreme fatigue requiring up to three naps a day, short-term memory loss, brain fog, and post-exertional malaise.
The account is specific about the cost. She struggled to recall client names in work meetings and once spent two hours searching an airport parking garage for her car. Over three years she spent roughly 20,000 dollars on treatments and collected diagnoses including cognitive impairment, chronic fatigue syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, and fatty liver disease.
Through cognitive therapy and treatment at Vanderbilt's long COVID program, Gibb reports being about 80 percent better by fall 2024, managing symptoms with note-taking and calendar strategies. Her case is part of the Institute for Systems Biology's work within the national RECOVER study on neurocognitive dysfunction.