Chandler Plante, 21, caught COVID-19 in December 2021 with just minimal symptoms and a speedy recovery. However, her health began to deteriorate in the months that followed. Plante began to experience numbness in her hands and forearms around three months after contracting COVID-19. She went to the emergency department, concerned, but was told that her symptoms were caused by worry and was sent home.

Despite this rejection, her symptoms worsened. Plante had experienced ischemic strokes, according to a brain scan on June 28. Her brain’s inflammation, which resulted in severely constrained arteries and a potentially fatal condition, was the cause of these strokes. Ischemic strokes occur when blood clots prevent blood and oxygen from reaching the brain.

Plante had a number of medical treatments, including the insertion of coronary stents to expand her restricted brain arteries and avoid future strokes. Her health issues, however, remained. The stents moved to the back of her eye a month later, causing her to lose vision in that eye. Doctors were stumped, unable to determine the source of her health problems.

Plante undertook various tests in her hunt for answers, including craniotomy, keyhole surgery on her brain, and a lumbar puncture. Despite their attempts, the precise cause of her ailment remained a mystery. Because of her drugs, Plante’s trip was defined by extreme pain, migraines, and facial nerve irritation.

Finally, in April 2023, Plante gained a ray of optimism when he received an injection of the chemotherapy medication rituximab. This therapy was a watershed moment for her, providing some respite from her crippling symptoms. Plante is still being treated with rituximab and methotrexate, another chemotherapy medicine, although she is experiencing adverse effects such as hair loss and thinning.

Chandler Plante has stayed resilient and motivated to share her story as a source of hope and inspiration throughout her suffering. She highlights the necessity of having a happy attitude and finding humor even in the most difficult of circumstances. Despite the lack of an official diagnosis, Plante’s path demonstrates the human spirit’s ability to persist and find courage in the face of hardship. She believes that her experience will encourage people to never give up, especially when confronted with apparently insurmountable obstacles, and to believe in the power of optimism and human connection.