Oral history interview with Gwen Tuson

Oral history interview with Gwen Tuson

Gwen Tuson of Hartford, Vermont, discusses both her experiences with long COVID during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the illness has impacted her life. She describes the steps that she and her husband took to minimize their potential exposure to the virus. They stopped working for income when the stay-at-home order first went into effect, did not socialize, and her husband did most errands outside of the home. In November 2020, they traveled to visit her family in New Hampshire prior to her father's death from cancer. After this family interaction, Tuson and her entire extended family tested positive for COVID. While her husband and mother had no symptoms, Tuson was bedridden for three weeks with fevers, congestion, and difficulty breathing. Following this illness, she experienced extreme fatigue and was ultimately diagnosed with long COVID. She also touches on her participation in online long COVID support groups and her return to attending social events while always masking.

Prior to the pandemic, Gwen Tuson of Hartford, Vermont, worked part-time preparing taxes. She had multiple chronic illnesses and was diagnosed with long COVID during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of this interview in 2024, she had stopped working and received federal disability status.

Sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-251676-OMS-22.

2024-06-17

Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project

AudioFileCOVID-067

MP3

WAV

Audio file

Permission to publish material from the Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story Project may be obtained from the Vermont Historical Society.

Bosek, Marcia Sue DeWolf

Tuson, Gwen

54 min., 7 sec.

Vermont Historical Society Library, 60 Washington Street, Barre, VT 05641-4215