Emily-May’s story
Facing the challenges of Long Covid, Emily-May explains how photography has become such a fantastic support
‘I’d been going through a hard time with anxiety and depression when on top of that, I contracted Covid,’ says Emily-May Stephenson. ‘I thought it’d be like a bad cold, it’d make me ill for a bit and then it would disappear again as quickly as it appeared in the first place. Unfortunately, it did not. After Covid itself went away, I was left with Long Covid, which I found worse than the virus.’
As an otherwise physically healthy young person, it was horrible for Emily-May to suddenly go from being so active to hardly being able to get out of the house. ‘My mental health suffered even more and I was so fed up, but fortunately, photography has always been a part of my life. My first camera was given to me when I was a toddler – it was a lovely shade of hot pink, complete with mini games and fun filters. Coming much more up to date, my
Canon EOS 90D and 18-135mm lens helped me no end during my recovery and continues to do so. On days when I can only walk as far as the garden, it gives me so much joy to photograph the nature on my doorstep. On days when I can go a bit further, capturing the beauty around me makes me so happy and on days when I just want to stay in bed, I love to edit to my heart’s content. It’s become my number one hobby and I hope one day it can become my full-time job.’
Facing the future with hope
Despite the physical and mental challenges she is facing being hit by a virus that scientists still don’t fully understand, Emily-May considers herself ‘truly blessed.’ ‘Having something I enjoy so much to focus on even when I don’t feel like myself has helped me no end and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.’