As she slowly recovers from her bout with COVID-19, Nedra Brown has a message for anyone who doubts the seriousness of the virus.

“Even if you do not know someone who has been affected, the virus is real,” said Brown, Associate Dean of Athletics at Grossmont College. “The symptoms are real. It’s not something I would want anyone to go through.”

Brown says she was careful. She has been working from home and only had limited contacts except for trips to the grocery store. When she woke up one morning in November with flu-like symptoms, she was relieved when they went away after she took some pain medication.

About a week later, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Brown was still feeling a little achy when she noticed she had lost her sense of smell. Even a body spray and a strong household disinfectant had no scent for her. Brown was tested for COVID-19 the next day, and learned she was positive.

“I just broke down. I cried and cried,” she said. “I just could not believe it. I felt sad and embarrassed and angry and scared.”

During the course of her illness, Brown suffered from body aches, headaches, dizziness, and shortness of breath. She lost her sense of taste and smell, and has a brain fog that makes it difficult for her to remember basic details.

More than a month after Brown first experienced COVID-19 symptoms, she still is not fully recovered. She has regained her sense of taste, but she still has no sense of smell. She still suffers from shortness of breath and brain fog.

Brown praised the support she got from her colleagues during her ordeal. She said Marsha Gable, then Grossmont College’s Vice President of Student Services, showed her great concern and compassion. Cheryl Detwiler, the Human Resources Coordinator who handles the District’s COVID-19 cases, followed up with Brown to check how she was coping.

“They’re the people I work with, but they approached it like I was a family member,” Brown said.

Read the full story of Brown's experience.

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