COVID-19 nearly killed Stephanie, yet that was only the beginning of her nightmare.

At the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, active, dog-loving mother of two Stephanie Colbert nearly died. Hit hard by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, she was forced into a medically-induced coma to protect her failing organs.

Yet when Stephanie awoke, she found her ordeal was far from over. Bound and naked in a hospital bed, Stephanie had no idea where she was or who the people treating her were. In fact, she didn’t even recognize her own husband or children.

Wracked with vivid, psychotic delusions and initially unable to even walk, Stephanie’s “recovery” from COVID-19 was actually just the beginning of a years-long struggle against the “long haul” after-effects of the disease – and her story is far from isolated. 

Since 2021, journals including Neurological Letters, the Lancet, and General Hospital Psychiatry have chronicled new-onset psychotic episodes following COVID-19 diagnosis – yet in this divisive era of politics and misinformation, it’s been difficult for those who’ve suffered these effects to have their stories heard and taken seriously.

In this brave, raw, and visceral account of her own struggle with COVID-induced psychosis, Stephanie Colbert finally gives validation to those similarly impacted by the chronic ‘long haul’ symptoms of COVID-19. Supported with the testimony of her husband and verified by her physician, Stephanie’s story is intended to expose the misunderstood, misrepresented, and often ignored impact of the devastating pandemic.