This First Person column is written by Melinda Maldonado who is recovering from long COVID. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.

When my dog looked at me with pleading eyes and a whine, I reluctantly grabbed her leash and made it downstairs. I knew I was too exhausted to walk Estelle long enough to tire her out but a grassy fenced area in my condo complex caught my eye on that cold February day. I looked at my dog and we agreed: to hell with it. 

Soon it was my dog leaping into the air