Heather-Elizabeth Brown, a healthy 35-year-old from Detroit, Michigan, is one the tens of thousands of Americans to be hospitalized with COVID-19. In her case, shortly after falling ill, her shortness of breath turned into gasping for air. Within 48 hours of arriving at the hospital, her lungs began to fail and she was put on a ventilator.

For 31 days she remained on the ventilator and six months later she has yet to fully recover from her symptoms, which include shortness of breath and extreme fatigue. She's now one of the growing number of "Long Haul" COVID-19 sufferers.

As the world reels from another COVID surge, hospitalizations are on the rise. A new CDC study found that someone hospitalized with COVID has a five times higher chance of dying than someone hospitalized for the flu. Heather-Elizabeth, an ordained minister, considers herself one of the lucky ones. This is her story.