On the day of his vaccination, son Kai was infected with the coronavirus.
Source: Keystone/archive image
An ETH professor and his son suffer from an extreme form of Long Covid. They provide insights into their everyday lives, which are characterized by setbacks and exhaustion.
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- A computer science professor at ETH Zurich falls ill with Long Covid together with his son.
- The two’s story of suffering is long and rocky.
Because Otmar Hilliges can’t even stand the light on the wall in the darkened room, he has a blindfold on when he visits “Tages-Anzeiger” receives. Hilliges has been here for almost half a year. The computer science professor at ETH is so exhausted that he can barely make it out of the room.
Hilliges eats his meals lying in bed. He has been unable to engage in any activities at work or with friends since he suffered from Long Covid. He says: “It’s an absolute nightmare.”
His son Kai, who is eleven, also suffers from Long Covid. He can no longer stand and even had to be carried around the apartment for a while. He hasn’t been to school for over a year.
It all started in January 2022. On the very day that son Kai was supposed to be vaccinated, he and his brother fell ill with Corona. Shortly afterwards, the father also becomes infected. The fever, headache and body aches passed after a few days and the illness seemed to be over.
Parents have their son tested for everything possible
A few months later, Kai has headaches and dizziness again. The symptoms are mild and pass, but always return. Eventually they become stronger and more persistent. At school he can concentrate less and less and his gait becomes more sluggish.
The parents listen up and have their son examined for everything possible. But false alarm: no foci of inflammation and no tumors can be identified.
In October 2022, Kai falls ill with Corona for a second time. From then on his health deteriorates noticeably. When he got corona and flu at the same time in January 2023, he had to go to the hospital.
He can no longer climb stairs, which is particularly difficult for the family as they live in a rented apartment on the fourth floor of a house without a lift on Zurichberg. He needs help around the clock.
“It felt like my whole system was crashing”
The father also doesn’t feel completely healthy a few months after the infection. He is often tired and his muscles hurt. In January 2023 he will also become ill with Corona again. The illness is over after a few days, but symptoms remain. There are also cognitive problems. Because during a lecture he suddenly no longer remembers common technical terms.
Finally, March 24, 2023 came. After a mountain bike tour and a visit in the evening, Hilliges feels worse than ever. He had a throbbing headache and cold sweats. “It felt like my whole system was crashing,” he tells the “Tages-Anzeiger”.
He is now on sick leave. The son and father were diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This is a disease that is often the result of Pfeiffer glandular fever, flu or Long Covid.
There is hardly any outside support, says wife Amy, who has reduced her workload as a copywriter in a tech company and now works almost exclusively from home.
Kai has made great progress since the 2023 summer holidays. This means he can go to school every now and then in his wheelchair to see his schoolmates again.
Father Otmar Hilliges feels differently. Things continue to go downhill for him. But he hasn’t lost hope. He is surprised at how mentally stable he still is. “I haven’t lost my inner drive,” he says.