Strong Hauler: Learning to Live with Long COVID

"Strong Haulers is a beautiful and raw journey into the depths of a disease. It is a remarkable chronicle of how a more resilient and compassionate self emerges from suffering -- as Hemingway might say, one which is stronger in the broken places. Ibrahim Rashid's tale is an inspiration to those with Long Covid, and really with any condition. Specifically, Rashid is infused with a specific purpose to change lives through impact investing and tech entrepreneurship. Universally, this hero's journey narrative becomes a map for how we all might use our own specific skills to transform suffering into a new life we can fall in love with."
- Ryan Prior, author of The Long Haul: Solving the Puzzle of the Pandemic's Long Haulers and How They Are Changing Healthcare Forever

"Ibrahim's openness about his privilege and depression, fear of disclosure, and the importance of mentors is a message that everyone should read."
- Tara Cunningham, CEO of Beyond Impact, Ashoka Fellow, and disability advocate

"What happens when a 24-year-old gets Long COVID? This is a profoundly moving story about how a young man moved through a period of seeing himself as a victim, to rolling up his sleeves to help others. An inspiring story about emotional and spiritual growth."
- Dr. Jessica Stern, Author of Denial: A Memoir of Terror, Expert on Trauma, and Professor at Boston University

"This message comes at a pivotal moment as COVID-19 long-haulers are trying to find certainty in an ill equipped healthcare system. Ibrahim's book is a message of perseverance to the millions of people worldwide currently suffering with debilitating symptoms from Long COVID. His words of personal struggle aim to raise awareness, spark empathy, and mobilse resources to support the many suffering silently. The message is loud: be bold, be brave, be empathetic, and be courageous. You're not alone. We are in this together."
-Lenka Beranova, Professor at Kelly School of Business at Indiana University, COVID Long Hauler

"As a college student with Long COVID, it's rare to see yourself reflected in others' recovery stories. Strong Haulers offers an invaluable look at the conditions that promote recovery and models what it looks like to put your health first as a young person with a chronic illness."
-Morgan Baker, COVID long-hauler, Yale University '21

My name is Ibrahim Rashid and I am a COVID long-hauler. I was healthy, athletic, and twenty-three years old with no preexisting conditions when I contracted the coronavirus. Over two years, I battled heart issues, brain fog, debilitating fatigue, and difficulty walking. I lost friends, learned to use a cane, and nearly dropped out of graduate school. I am one of the millions of people who never recovered from the virus. Battling this sickness has been the fight of my life. I almost gave up.

But I didn't. I'm still here.

Today, I am twenty-six years old, and have learned to live with, rather than fight against, this virus. This is my story about finding hope and meaning amidst sickness at a young age. My hope is that it inspires you to do the same.