The Long Haul with Summer

On this deeply personal update, I'm opening up about why I’ve been away—and what’s really been happening behind the scenes.After reaching the best shape of my life, everything took an unexpected turn. What started as metabolic issues quickly spiraled into something much more complex. From new autoimmune concerns to a COVID reinfection, I’ve been dealing with severe fatigue, brain fog, and debilitating crashes that have completely changed my day-to-day life.After months of testing, treatments, and trying to piece things together with my medical team, we finally have some answers—but they come with new challenges. I’m now facing significant vascular complications and heading to Denver for a procedure that I hope will put me back on the path to healing.This episode is about transparency, resilience, and the reality of living with long COVID. I’ll also be documenting this next phase of my journey—sharing what I learn, what helps, and what recovery really looks like.Thank you for being here, for your support, and for walking this journey with me. More updates soon.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Summer shares what to eat with Long COVID and how an anti-inflammatory diet may support healing, energy, and overall recovery. She walks through grocery store tips, the mito diet, foods to prioritize, foods to avoid, meal ideas, snack options, and simple ways to lower inflammation through everyday eating. Whether you’re dealing with Long COVID symptoms or looking for practical nutrition guidance, this episode offers a helpful starting point.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Summer sits down with Dr. Vaughn and cardiologist Dr. Alexis Cutchins to unpack why so many Long COVID patients are still being dismissed. They explore the overlooked links between Long COVID, POTS, MCAS, venous disease, and microclotting—and why listening to patients is often what leads to real answers.This is an eye-opening conversation about medical blind spots, innovative care, and the doctors working to connect the dots for patients who have been told nothing is wrong.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

After getting sick and hearing again and again that her tests were “normal,” Olivia was left with no real answers—only worsening symptoms, intense fatigue, chest pain, a racing heart, and months spent bedridden.In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, she shares how her life changed after COVID, how traditional doctors repeatedly dismissed her symptoms as anxiety, and how finding the right testing and care finally helped her begin getting her life back.Olivia’s story is a powerful look at Long COVID, medical dismissal, microclotting, recovery, and why patients need doctors who will truly listen.

Starting Long COVID treatment can feel overwhelming—especially when your first visit comes with a busy day of testing, labs, education, and a brand-new plan to follow. In this solo episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Summer walks through what that first appointment typically looks like, how the care team builds a personalized roadmap, and why it’s common to feel a little worse before you feel better as your body begins healing and adjusting to new medications, rest, hydration, and nutrition changes. She shares practical tips for managing brain fog, staying organized, pacing exercise, improving sleep, and avoiding setbacks—plus the mindset of grace, patience, and perseverance it takes to make progress that isn’t always linear.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

COVID isn’t just a lung disease—and under the microscope, the blood reveals a very different story.In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Summer sits down with world-renowned physiologist Dr. Resia Pretorius to discuss what her team discovered: extreme platelet hyperactivation, vascular damage, and amyloid-like clotting structures often referred to as “microclots.” They unpack why many Long COVID patients can have “normal” standard labs while still feeling profoundly unwell, why microscopy is so validating, and what it will take to move this research into mainstream care.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

Discover how one medical practice is transforming patient care by building a pharmacy right inside their clinic. Pharmacist Scherry shares her journey working with an integrated healthcare team, providing same-day prescriptions, compounded medications, and expert guidance on supplements and off-label therapies. From streamlining care to supporting patients through the pandemic, see how this unique setup improves outcomes, builds trust, and redefines what patient-centered healthcare can look like.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

For years, Deb Moyer’s seizures, paralysis, and debilitating symptoms were dismissed by doctors as “all in her head.” Labeled psychiatric and accused of faking her illness, she faced a life-threatening reality that went unrecognized. When she finally found a care team willing to investigate the true cause — blood clots and severe microvascular issues — they told her she should have been dead.Through perseverance, faith, and innovative integrative care, Deb fought to reclaim her health, regain her mobility, and rebuild her life. Her story highlights the dangers of medical dismissal, the importance of being believed, and the hope that comes from care that thinks outside the box.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

Jodi Cherry was a high-level tech executive leading 400 people when her life changed in a single second. While on a routine Zoom call, half of her body went numb. It was the start of a terrifying medical mystery where her "blood felt like it was boiling" and her high-powered career was stripped away.In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Jody shares her raw journey through the "Ologists" to finally find answers: Lyme Disease, Long COVID, and Fibromyalgia. This is a story about the loss of identity, the reality of invisible illness, and the faith required to keep going when your body fails you.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

In this special holiday episode, Summer shifts from interviewing other survivors to sharing her own personal favorite things that have aided her ongoing road to recovery. Join Summer to discover integrative healing methods, with a practical toolkit for managing physical symptoms, and learn to address the cognitive and emotional toll of the illness, with mental health strategies. You will not want to miss even one of Summer's Favorite Things!Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, we sit down with Mendel Fishman—entrepreneur, researcher, and long COVID patient—who is pioneering new diagnostic tools to transform how long COVID is identified and managed. Mendel shares his personal journey, the challenges of launching a biotech startup, and how innovative assays could help clinicians diagnose patients faster, more accurately, and with fewer financial burdens. We also discuss collaborations, upcoming clinical validations, and what he hopes policymakers, providers, and patients understand about the urgent need for long COVID research.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

On The Long Haul with Summer, we dive into real stories from real people navigating life after long COVID. In this episode, Summer sits down with Juli Carr and her daughter Sara, who open up about what happens when long COVID affects not just one person—but an entire family. From sudden fatigue and brain fog to the emotional toll of watching loved ones decline, their story reveals the fear, confusion, and ultimately the resilience that shaped their journey.Juli and Sara share how they found answers, embraced outside-the-box treatments, and supported each other through the darkest moments. They talk candidly about the risk and relief of treatment, the identity shifts that come with chronic illness, and gratitude they’ve found on the other side of healing.Join us as we explore the realities so many are still facing—and the innovative care that’s helping patients reclaim their lives.Learn more about Long COVID and how we are working to overcome it at: https://mvresearch.org/

Lifelong athlete and five-time marathon runner Mary Ann Ragan details the shocking physical deterioration she experienced after a mild case of COVID-19. Known for climbing mountains over 20,000 feet, competitive tennis, and a 40-year workout regime, Mary Ann was suddenly unable to walk across her own yard or engage in extended cardio, and only received repeated medical dismissals when she sought answers. Tune in to hear how this formerly energetic patient, who went from running 10 miles on weekends to struggling with simple movements, uncovered the physical root cause of her ailment—vascular compression—which finally explained the drastic loss of her athletic abilities.