MEET Chimére
MY STORY
Suffering with the debilitating symptoms of long COVID-19 since 2020, Sweeney has learned the hard knocks of advocacy in health care. While seeking treatment and care, she experienced racism, sexism, and dismissal by several medical professionals.
Sweeney boldly took matters into her own hands by challenging Baltimore hospitals for better, comprehensive treatment for herself and other Black long COVID patients in urban communities. Her advocacy through letters and email to these hospitals earned her a legitimate Long Covid diagnosis.
As a pioneer for Black Long Covid storytellers, Sweeney has been featured as a guest on many networks, podcasts, and publications — shares her long COVID journey – including balancing the effects of her disability emotionally, physically, and financially.
She has written for The Huffington Post, Medium, and She Knows, and contributed to “The Long COVID Survival Guide.”
Sweeney is also a graduate of HBCU, Morgan State University, and a retired middle school teacher.
WHERE TO FIND ME
Opinion: Doctors didn’t believe that I had Covid-19. I found a way to make them listen. (Nov. 2022)
Huffington Post: Here's What Happened When I Told Congress The Black And Ugly Truth About Long COVID (May 2021).
NBC News: Black Covid long-haulers felt invisible to the health care system, so they formed their own support groups. (Aug, 2022).