Friday Finds
Articles, funnies, papers, news, research, and random stuff I saved this week.
FIRST UP: I just saw an email saying that Claire of Sista Creatives Rising has officially launched her new endeavor, Musings of a Black Disabled Elder. I have been excited about this for a real long time, and I’m trilled to see this new addition to the blogosphere. I clicked through and saw a question, “In the midst of chaos, what’s your daily healing routine?” Ummm. It is very clear that I do not have one of those. That’s probably why I ended up crying on the internet and then doing an 19 slide post about burnout.
These two are truly wonderful, intentional humans, and I’m going to be chatting with each one independently about their latest creative works. You should go subscribe.
Shameless plug, here’s some episodes of A Friend For the Long Haul featuring Claire and Amaranthia:
and
Next week, I am recording an episode of A Friend for the Long Haul - A Long Covid Podcast with Dr. Julia Moore Vogel and Dr. Wes Ely. Dr. Moore Vogel has been on the podcast before, where she told us all about the Long COVID Treatment Trial (LoCITT) program.
I’m very lucky to say that she has also turned into one of my Pocket Friends - a friend who lives in my phone, in my pocket. She introduced me to Dr. Ely, and I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting both of them for a conversation. We’re planning to discuss how their different lived experiences in the Long Covid realm (Dr. Julia both studying the illness and being a patient, Dr. Ely’s history as an ICU doctor who studied and revolutionized Post Intensive Care Syndrome protocols and his mission to prevent patients from being harmed by care systems and the tech that keeps them alive.)
Dr. Ely has a book that I’m currently listening to, called Every Deep-Drawn Breath. I’m in awe of him! And as many of you know, I’ve dealt with a lot of cognitive impacts because of LC and neuroinflammation - his article from 2023 called “The Haunting Brain Science of Long Covid” is not for the faint of heart:
“Perhaps the most harrowing thing I have done in 30 years as a physician-scientist has been to ask family members I’d never met, often in the middle of the night via telephone during the height of the Covid surges, if I and my colleagues could study their loved one’s brain. In a study we conducted of 20 of these priceless brain donations, we found brain swelling due to decreased blood flow and heightened activity in microglial cells, the so-called white matter in brains that support the neurons that transmit thoughts and help store information. We saw this even in young previously healthy individuals.”
I’m so grateful to get to have a conversation with these two!
Chimére from The Blackest Side of Long Covid has a new post up, and she is asking for feedback. She has a presentation coming up at her alma mater, Morgan State University. It’s titled: “Dismissed to Diagnosed: How Storytelling Promotes Agency and Advocacy in Black American Healthcare.” She says:
“I am doing the fastest research for my science abstract presentation ever! And I need your help. My presentation will be a bit unique as it is a narrative analysis. I will be sharing written, video, and storytelling experiential research more than charts and graphs. You know I never do anything traditionally. Ha!
If you’re Black, has my Long Covid story and activism inspired you to pursue any part or next steps of your healthcare goals?
If so, could you tell me how?”
You can click through to that post and give feedback in the comments.
From the Washington Post: “13 Surprising Ways GLP-1s may Benefit the Body, According to Science” ties into this nicely.
“Beyond metabolism, the medications appear to influence inflammation, the immune system and brain function, revealing how interconnected these systems may be.”
I’ve been on Mounjaro (tirzepatide, same as the Scripps trial) since January 2025, and it’s made a huge difference not only to my pain levels, but to my nervous system.
I’m spiraling about how current events are going to impact food supply in the summer and fall, so your girl is starting a composting journey. I’ll keep you abreast. I really want to grow foods that are easy to re-grow from themselves - both out of need, and out of how cool that is to share with the kids.
Here’s a video from the La Jolla Institute of Immunology called “The Pandemic We Didn’t See: What We Actually Know About Long COVID & Post-Viral Disease.”
And finally, a new episode of the podcast will be out on Monday, featuring Olivia Belknap. She’s just as lovely as you would expect! You should follow her on Instagram, and if you listen to the pod, follow/subscribe on your favorite platform. Sharing and reviewing helps out a lot, too. Thank you!
Yay!! Thanks as always! Can’t believe we got it together enough to launch the blog haha. Excited to chat again!