The Long Haul with Summer

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 working as an ER nurse through the COVID pandemic, Rachel Lowry never expected to become the patient herself. In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, she shares how months of coughing, shortness of breath, crushing fatigue, and worsening symptoms were repeatedly brushed aside—until one chest X-ray finally revealed significant lung scarring.

Rachel opens up about the fear, frustration, and medical dismissal she faced, what it was like to know something was deeply wrong while being told everything looked normal, and how getting the right answers changed the course of her journey. This is a powerful conversation about Long COVID, lung damage, persistence, and why patients need doctors who will truly listen.
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.

Andrea was a healthy, active mom, nurse, and school worker when everything suddenly changed. What started as strange arrhythmias and exhaustion turned into crushing fatigue, dizziness, swelling, brain fog, and episodes so severe she could barely make it through a grocery store without help.

After months of ER visits, cardiology workups, normal tests, and being told to just live with it, Andrea finally found doctors willing to look deeper. In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, she shares her frightening health collapse, the vascular issues that were ultimately discovered, and the treatment path that began giving her life back.

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/

Ernie went from averaging 30,000 steps a day to being nearly bedridden after 2021—failing lung tests even with an inhaler, battling crushing brain fog, constant shaking, and being told by doctor after doctor that nothing was wrong.

After four years of searching for answers, one appointment changed everything. In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Ernie shares how he finally found a care team that listened, built a clear plan, and supported him through treatment from out of state—then accelerated it on-site in Birmingham with adjunct therapies like HBOT, red light therapy, SoftWave, and EBOO.

Today, his pulmonary function tests are normal, and he’s back to running, hiking, and rebuilding the life Long COVID stole—with a message of faith, persistence, and hope for anyone still stuck in the cycle of dismissal.

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/

35 Doctors. 3 Children's Hospitals. One "Medical Jailbreak." Kyle Cooper was a nationally ranked triathlete until he was found collapsed on his bedroom floor. He explains how severe sensory overstimulation forced him into a "blackout room," wearing noise-canceling headphones just to survive the day. For years, every specialist called his symptoms "preposterous" or "just dehydration." They were wrong.

Colby Cooper shares the heart-pounding moment he pulled his son out of the hospital to find the truth. Discover how Dr. Jordan Vaughn and the Microvascular Research Foundation (MVRF) identified the 92% vein blockage and micro-clots that traditional medicine missed.

"This experience has made us lifelong supporters and advocates for the Microvascular Research Foundation. This is our new calling." — Colby

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, Grace Gilliver knew something was wrong — but doctors kept dismissing her concerns. Her symptoms worsened, answers never came, and she was left searching for help on her own. In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, she shares her journey through chronic illness, long COVID, and the moment everything changed when one doctor finally listened.

Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at: https://mvresearch.org/