MaskTogetherAmerica

“After a truly “mild” COVlD infection in 2022, we had cardio-pulmonary symptoms persist for 6+ months. It’s a stark reminder that this airborne virus is far more than just a cold. Coupled with that, the realization that viruses hang in the air similar to smoke, was eye opening.” — Behind the respirators are Britt () and Brian () The .845 organizers of shared their story with at a party.

“We both have dealt with chronic health issues for years. Cumulative impacts of recurrent COVlD infections may not outwardly affect everyone, but under the surface, damage has been and will continue to be done.

We think of it as similar to viruses from childhood that were regarded as “manageable” - I.e. chicken pox, mono. At the time we weren’t aware that they can live dormant in your system and catch up with you later in life, causing debilitating symptoms. Despite being taught that we need to continually build up our immune systems, the reality is that the immune system isn’t comparable to muscle.”

COVlD can cause immune dysfunction and reactivate latent infections. The chickenpox virus (Herpes Zoster) can reactivate decades later as shingles, a painful rash that can lead to severe nerve pain. Reactivated EBV, the mono virus, can trigger ME/CFS, MS, Lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s, Type 1 diabetes, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Encephalitis and Meningitis, lymphoma, and cancers.

“Health is such a precious resource and you truly take it for granted (we certainly did) until you can’t anymore. We really respect the messaging of masking up at the “BIG 3” — healthcare settings, public transit, and stores.

Doing so is attainable and will have a meaningful impact on reducing viral transmission, making spaces more accessible for everyone. People don’t expect to get into a car accident every time they put their seatbelts on, it’s just second nature to put one on.

Masking is an effective way to prevent illness. Let’s do our part in protecting the lives of those in our community. Consider masking at the Big 3.”

“I mask up because I care about myself as an immunocompromised person and because caring about my community is the fu***ng best! Tap back in 💕”—Behind the Aura with a is Emily Celebrate 845 [http://celebrate845.com] organizer of , posed for at a Positive Deviance masked required party. 📸✍🏼👩🏻‍💻Julie Lam

“My fiancé developed Long COVlD and PoTS after contracting COVlD on Christmas Day of 2022. He was going to hospital every other week in 2023.”— Behind the 3M Aura N95 is Nikki , next to her fiancé Sam ().
 
Prior to his infection, Sam was a marathon runner, Nikki told .
 
“Whilst Sam has seen improvements over the years which we’re so grateful for, he’s still nowhere near where he used to be. Long COVlD can be a devastating and life altering condition. It affects many patients differently, and is also heavily stigmatised.”
 
Like many others, Sam had faced challenges in seeking a diagnosis and care.
 
“The first emergency doctor I spoke to told Sam he just needed to “roll around in the bed and get it out of his system.” This doctor also mocked my COVlD protections and concerns. Many receptionists and a few doctors or consultants, when trying to get Sam urgent medical help, didn’t seem aware that COVlD spreads year-round— it was a very unprofessional and surreal experience. We were lucky we found by chance a doctor who knew what to test for and found PoTS straight away, when we’d never heard of the condition. Sam was then referred to Long COVlD clinics, however, beyond getting the diagnosis, they didn’t provide any medical help or treatment.”
 
POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system, where standing up causes heart palpitations, chest pain, a racing heart rate, dizziness, headaches, and unexplained exhaustion. Because POTS overwhelmingly affects women, male patients often struggle to get diagnosed. We are grateful to Nikki and Sam for sharing their story to encourage the world to take precautions.
 
“I mask up to protect my health and those around me as I’ve had health issues in the past where I’d experienced first-hand that doctors don’t always have answers and that medical gaslighting and unfair treatment to patients can sadly be very real. The more I learned about COVlD and other virus, asymptomatic spread, and both their acute and long-term impact, I couldn’t not practice masking in my daily life. Once you know better, you do better.”

“We were sadly the only maskers in the theater. Ah well! At least we were!” Behind the “Grogufied” KN95 is Ruth Sitts (), who saw The Mandalorian & Grogu movie. Ruth’s review of the movie is mixed. “As a huge, lifelong Star Wars fan, of course, it was a slam-dunk win! There are so many ‘highs,’ but also... a few ‘hmmmm’ things. I don’t want to spoil it for you, though! Are you going to try to see it in the theatre or wait for streaming?”

She chatted with Julie Lam, who writes for . Julie is torn. Because of immunodeficiency and Long COVlD, Julie always masks up when she goes out, especially when she goes indoors. She will probably wait for streaming or watch it during a workday when the crowds aren’t there.

We are amazed by how Ruth put her Grogu-themed ensemble together. “I made this skirt, headband, and mask cover so that I could have something fun to wear to the movie! I am still playing with how to best make these covers.”

We are super grateful to Ruth for her continuous masking and leading by example. “Masking is part of my identity now. Most of my friends wouldn’t even know who I am without a mask anymore! HA! This is truly the way!”

Long COVlD Liver🔬A study identifies 5 primary ways Long COVlD (LC) affects the liver: (MDPI Life review 2025):
🔹 New or Worsened Fatty Liver: Metabolic disruption post-infection triggers or accelerates fat buildup (steatosis).
🔹 Chronic Necroinflammation: Persistent immune-mediated damage leads to ongoing liver cell stress.
🔹 Persistent Biliary Damage: Direct viral action on bile duct cells impairs bile flow.
🔹 Progression to Fibrosis & Tumors: Activated stellate cells and increased MASH (Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis) can promote long-term scarring and risk of liver tumors.

6 Potential Drivers:
• Direct Infection: SARS-CoV-2 infects liver and bile duct cells via ACE2 receptors.
• ACE2 Depletion: Leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress (ROS).
• Gut-Liver Axis: The virus can reach the liver through intestinal infections.
• Cytokine Storm: Systemic inflammation causes “bystander” injury to liver tissue.
• Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI): COVlD treatments (antivirals, monoclonal antibodies, inflammation inhibitors) carry hepatotoxicity risks.
• Blood Clotting: Microthrombi (small clots) in liver vessels restrict blood flow and cause tissue damage (WJG, 2022).

Long COVlD Liver is Common:
• Liver impairment was present in 28% of a “low-risk” Long COVlD cohort (BMJ Open, 2021).
• A review of 23,611 patients found a 39.63% liver injury prevalence; the US had the highest incidence at 43.7% (Medicine, 2023).
• 47.7% of hospitalized patients had abnormal liver labs 6 months post-infection—linked to raised BMI, high LDL (bad cholesterol), and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) (JGH Open 2024).
• Common LC hepatobiliary conditions include acute hepatitis, cholestasis, and autoimmune liver diseases and gallbladder pathology (BMC Infect Dis).

Persistent elevation of enzymes like ALT, AST, and ALP is a sign that medical evaluation is essential. Protect your organs. Normalize prevention.


✍️ Julie Lam

“Public health is an area everyone should care about, but unfortunately masking was politicized early on in the COVlD-19 pandemic. I’m disabled, I have family with long COVlD, and so many people I care about are immunocompromised.”— Behind the KN95 respirator is Carly Civello (), a full-time art director and graphic designer, whose dad developed Long COVlD (LC).
 
“My dad’s Long COVlD costed my family greatly, especially my mom. Months in the hospital, new diagnoses like POTS, reactivated rare cancer cells, lymphoma, the list goes on. It’s horrible to watch a parent suffer and it’s even worse to watch your other parent lose themselves in caregiving. My mom is the strongest person I know.”
 
Carly uses her spare time to make content and art about important issues. She shares her personal story to raise awareness about how LC impacts both patients and their families.
 
“One of the most important series I’ve ever made is called “This is What Long COVlD Looks Like,” it’s available on my Instagram and YouTube. I chronicle one of my dad’s many hospital-stays, and I also talk about the grief you feel when you have to deal with a sick parent. It’s lonely and awful and if you’ve ever experienced it, you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy.” 
 
Carly believes that masking is community care. 
 
“If you’re a fellow masker, like me, you’ve felt lonely. Some days you wonder why you’re still doing this or wonder if you’ve made any impact at all. I remind myself that in the 6+ years I’ve been masking, I’ve saved countless people. Every single one of us who wears a mask is a compassionate community member.”
 
We can’t agree more. .

Let’s promote to show our collective global solidarity! 🌏😷 Share your masked selfies to encourage the world to protect one another and support public health. We make change together!
🆔: Julie Lam( ) with & .845 members at a rooftop party by Positive Deviance

“Giving a dang about myself & my neighbors via masking up feels so good every time I choose to do it. Try it out, xo.” —Behind the KN95 is Jamie Mode (), organizer of .845. The group, initiated in 2018, organizes, recognizes, and celebrate(!) historically margincalized, low & no income creatives via pop-up & virtual programming throughout New York’s Hudson Valley. The group is behind the May 25-31, 2026!

For more info and resources: celebrate845.com. Jamie was interviewed by Julie Lam who writes for at a mask-required “All Vinyl, All Love” rooftop party hosted by Positive Deviance in Brooklyn, NYC.

“My partner is immunocompromised and I want to participate in life and events as much as we can without endangering them. I’ve met a lot of people through masked events that I never would have connected with if I hadn’t made that choice. And because it’s ultimately something people do to protect the vulnerable people in their community, I find the people who do this are considerate and thoughtful around other needs as well.”—Behind the is Alex who posed for a documentary project Julie Lam 📸+ ✍🏼 initiated for at a Make a Scene event.

❤️‍🩹 Cardiovascular Long COVlD, hidden but prevalent! Standard EKGs screen for rhythm issues at rest, but often miss symptoms triggered only by standing or activity (Europace, 2023). As shown here, Julie Lam (founder of ) was instructed to wear a remote monitor for a week to catch what resting tests miss.

Julie’s experience with chest tightness, pain and leg-swelling is far from rare. Research confirms Long COVlD (LC) doesn’t spare previously healthy people—regardless of how mild the initial infection was.

❤️‍🩹 MRI Findings: 20% of LC patients show heart abnormalities on MRI six months post-infection, even if never hospitalized (BMJ Open Heart, 2023).
❤️‍🩹 High-Risk Diagnoses: Compared to the uninfected, LC patients face a 6.1x higher risk for myocarditis and a 3.1x higher risk for pulmonary embolism (Frontiers, 2025).
❤️‍🩹 15% of COVlD-19 patients experience cardiovascular sequelae! Common Symptoms include: Shortness of breath (~30%), palpitations (~20%), and POTS/Arrhythmias (up to 33%) (BMC Med 2025).
❤️‍🩹 Vascular Aging: COVlD-19 can cause premature arterial stiffening—equivalent to 5 years of aging in just months (European Heart Journal).

Common Diagnostic Challenges for Cardiovascular LC:
📍 Standard EKG: Misses symptoms triggered by standing or activity (Europace, 2023)
📍 Bloodwork: Rules out heart attacks but often misses subclinical vascular inflammation (Medical Economics, 2024).
📍 Tilt-Table: Diagnoses POTS but doesn’t show heart structure (Cleveland Clinic)
📍 Cardiac MRI: Detects scarring and inflammation, but often inaccessible (Frontiers, 2024).

⭕ Solution: The American College of Cardiology (ACC) recommends a “multimodality” approach. If basic tests are normal but symptoms persist, clinicians must “dig deeper” with orthostatic (standing) tests and Cardiac MRIs to find the damage standard labs miss.

(Julie’s tests are a prime example: her resting EKG was “normal” and her CT scan (Calcium Score) showed no plaque, yet she tested positive for POTS on a Tilt Table Test.) Protect your organ systems. Normalize prevention. 💕😷