CORONAVIRUS

Nurse Advocates For Medical Workers Who Have Become ‘COVID Long Haulers’

Apr 22, 2021, 8:30 PM | Updated: Apr 23, 2021, 9:21 am

DRAPER, Utah – A Utah nurse has been raising awareness about the long-term impacts the past year has had on medical workers. Even though she has never tested positive for coronavirus, she said she considers herself a COVID-19 long hauler.

The first time you meet Rachael Evans, you can tell she loves her job.

“Being a nurse is something that gets in your blood,” she said.

Evans decided to become a nurse when her grandmother, who was dying of cancer from being a downwinder during nuclear testing, told her to take care of people.

“She said, ‘Rachael, I want you to be a nurse.’ I thought she was crazy, and the other thing she said was I want you to keep your apartment clean. And she got one of her wishes,” said Evans with a laugh.

It’s a career that took off for her.

She even became a traveling nurse helping people across the country. However, last year at a senior care facility in Georgia, Evans said she got sick.

“I did have all of the symptoms of COVID, but still tested negative,” she said.

It only got worse.

She had blood clotting issues, blood pressure concerns, difficulty speaking, and then neurological problems. As time went on, Evans said she started to deteriorate even more.

“I had GI issues that turned into respiratory issues. But then I started having seizures,” she said.

Evans said she lost her traveling nurse job because of it.

“I knew I would have to leave the bedside eventually because I was having shortness of breath with even moving,” she said.

Now, Evans is wondering if she’ll ever get her health back.

She was healthy and competed as a power weightlifter before she got sick.

“It’s hard because you’re scared and you don’t know what’s going on,” said Evans. “I just want to get better.”

Evans has another job lined up, which will eventually bring her health insurance so she can get the MRI and medical tests she needs to figure out what kind of treatment she needs.

“Unfortunately, I’m kind of at this stop,” said Evans. “So now I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

In the meantime, she wants to raise awareness that there are a lot of nurses, like her, and others in the medical field who are now dealing with the long-term effects of helping COVID patients for the past year.

“We were called heroes for so long, and now that the crisis is kind of being controlled, we’ve kind of been left by the wayside and people are now forgetting about us,” said Evans. “We’ve fought and now that we’re sick, people kind of forget and we’re still struggling.”

Still, she’s keeping a great attitude about it all.

She feels having this perspective will only help her in the future.

“It makes me a better nurse,” she said. “I’m more understanding of patients who are going through this because it is frustrating.”

KSL 5 TV Live

Coronavirus

FILE: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 (left) and Moderna COVID-19 (right) vaccines are seen at a vaccinati...

Zeke Miller, AP White House Correspondent

US to lift most federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates next week

The Biden administration will end the last remaining federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements next week when the national public health emergency for the coronavirus ends.

11 months ago

A general view of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta...

Brenda Goodman, CNN

CDC set to stop tracking community levels for Covid-19

As the nation's public health emergency expires on May 11, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stop reporting its color-coded Covid-19 Community Levels as a way to track the spread of the infection.

11 months ago

Pharmacist Patricia Pernal administers the newest COVID-19 vaccine during a clinic for seniors at t...

Tami Luhby

New White House plan aims to provide uninsured with free COVID-19 vaccines

The Biden administration unveiled Tuesday a $1.1 billion program aimed at providing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments to the uninsured at no cost after the federal supply is exhausted.

12 months ago

Shen Hongbing, the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks at a p...

Joe McDonald

China health officials lash out at WHO, defend virus search

Chinese health officials defended their search for the source of the COVID-19 virus on Saturday.

12 months ago

Intermountain Medical Center (KSL TV)...

Emily Ashcraft

Pandemic led to increase in rate and severity of depression, Intermountain study says

The COVID-19 pandemic had a large impact on mental health, specifically depression, an Intermountain Health study using research from thousands Utah patients found.

1 year ago

FILE PHOTO (KSL-TV)...

Emily Ashcraft

Masks no longer required at Intermountain Health facilities, 3 years after pandemic started

Intermountain Health announced wearing masks will become optional for visitors and patients beginning March 15, following an anticipated decline in respiratory illnesses.

1 year ago

Sponsored Articles

Stack of old laptops with dark background...

PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.

Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...

BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.

Close up of an offset printing machine during production...

Les Olson IT

Top 7 Reasons to Add a Production Printer to Your Business

Learn about the different digital production printers and how they can help your company save time and money.

vintage photo of lighting showroom featuring chandeliers, lamps, wall lights and mirrors...

Lighting Design

History of Lighting Design | Over 25 Years of Providing Utah With the Latest Trends and Styles

Read about the history of Lighting Design, a family-owned and operated business that paved the way for the lighting industry in Utah.

Fiber Optical cables connected to an optic ports and Network cables connected to ethernet ports...

Brian Huston, CE and Anthony Perkins, BICSI

Why Every Business Needs a Structured Cabling System

A structured cabling system benefits businesses by giving you faster processing speeds and making your network more efficient and reliable.

notebook with password notes highlighted...

PC Laptops

How to Create Strong Passwords You Can Actually Remember

Learn how you can create strong passwords that are actually easy to remember! In a short time you can create new ones in seconds.

Nurse Advocates For Medical Workers Who Have Become ‘COVID Long Haulers’