A cartoonish illustration of a man in a wheel chair in a garden. He has a speech bubble that says, "It has been difficult. People with disabilities tend to struggle getting true support. Hopefully this can be a chance for change." Bold text says, "Who is left out of the conversation?"
by

@_coronadiary The Artwork of Monique Jackson

A cartoonish illustration of a man in a wheel chair in a garden. He has a speech bubble that says, "It has been difficult. People with disabilities tend to struggle getting true support. Hopefully this can be a chance for change." Bold text says, "Who is left out of the conversation?"
An illustration of two feminine people having a conversation in speech bubbles over the phone. They both loose their trains of thought.
An illustration of a masculine person breathing particles into the air. Bold text reads, "wear a mask, protect the NHS."
An illustration of a brown woman with her head in her palm disappointed. Bold text reads "Long Covid is not in your head"

In March 2020, Monique Jackson was infected with COVID-19 and has been experiencing symptoms of Long Covid ever since. In her project, Corona Diary (alt link), Jackson documents her story of living with the chronic illness in the UK. She published frequent illustrations that promoted self-advocacy, community building, and helpful resources. Her work has been featured in news coverage (alt link) and made Jackson a community representative for people experiencing the same symptoms as her. Jackson used art to show people experiencing the isolating process of living with a newly discovered illness that they were not actually alone. Jackson became a facilitator of Covid Café drop-in sessions creating a grounding safe spaces for people with shared lived experiences of chronic illness. Using cartoon-style illustrations and humor, Jackson created a validating visual vocabulary for her life with Long Covid (alt link) that is radical and vulnerable. — Stephanie Farmer