Over the past year, Joy Reid’s three children would frequently ask her the same question with slight trepidation: “How would you rate today out of 10, Mum?” – with one being the worst. A six was a good day. But she was usually at a three.
“On the very bad days, they didn’t even ask because we wouldn’t be having a conversation,” says Joy.
“Some days, I couldn’t interact with them very easily. The rating system helped them understand that anything below a three wasn’t the day to expect Mum to tuck them into bed.”
In 2022, life changed for Joy when she was began experiencing symptoms of long Covid.
The upbeat television journalist went from thriving on the highpressured and fast-paced nature of reporting on daily news, to being couch-bound in her Christchurch home and unable to engage with the outside world.
At her lowest point, the 39-year-old felt hopeless and couldn’t envisage ever being well again or back onscreen. However, after making
