TV writer Heidi Ferrer has died following a 13-month-long fight against Long Haul COVID-19, her husband shared on social media. She was 50.
Her spouse, Nick Guthe, penned a Facebook post on May 27 "to pass along the heartbreaking news" that his "beloved" Heidi died on May 26. She was a writer for shows including "Dawson's Creek," "Wasteland" and "Black Scorpion," working in Hollywood from 1999 to 2008.
Nick wrote on Heidi's blog that she died by suicide, making him a "single father" to their 13-year-old son Bexon.
"The excruciating physical pain and inability to sleep from the pain led Heidi to the decision she would rather leave this world on her own terms before her condition worsened more," Nick wrote on "Girl to Mom." "Heidi loved hearing from all of you and she never would have made this decision if not for her intense suffering from Long Haul Covid."
He explained that COVID-19 "took every part of her life away" over the past 13 months, including "Her mobility, her enjoyment of food as she had to eat a very restrictive diet, and, in the end, her ability to sleep and even to read books and enjoy them."
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Nick, also a screenwriter, continued, "We are not hiding it as the mental strain of Long Haul Covid sufferers is a public health crisis that must be addressed quickly."
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"She fought it like she lived, ferociously, but in the end it was relentless and took away everything from her," her husband of nearly 20 years explained on Facebook. "We are still just beginning to process the depth of our loss."
He asked that, in lieu of flowers, fans make a donation to the Infantile Scoliosis Outreach Program, a non-profit that "saved" Bexon's spine, he said. "This organization gave us everything and it is what she would want," he shared, adding a goodbye to his wife: "Godspeed, my Angel, I'll see you down the road."
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Nick said he will keep her blog alive "forever" as a "living document of who she was and what she believed in."
Heidi moved from Kansas to Los Angeles in the 1980s to pursue her acting passion at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before joining the Writers Guild of America more than 20 years ago, per Variety.
On "Girl to Mom," Heidi described herself as "a writer, a mama and a sober recovery teacher/mentor." She offered sobriety tips through her course, "The RecovHer Freedom Breakthrough," and her "RecovHer" YouTube Channel. "Onward to freedom," she wrote.
She last shared an update on her health in January, writing, "I'm cautiously optimistic that I'm still improving slowly but surely every month. I had over 40 scary and even crippling Long Covid symptoms in July. Now I'm down to a few frustrating ones, but sooo much better. I have better, very good days and a few bad days here and there."
About 10 months into her diagnosis, she said, "I'm feeling more of a lightness of spirit, lately."
She reflected on how Taylor Swift's music had been brightening her days. "I feel more of a sense of overall well-being. I even noticed I'm listening to happier music. Taylor Swift's 'Cardigan' got me through some hard evenings," she said. "That beautifully heart-wrenching song about her mom battling cancer, 'Soon You'll Get Better' was kinda my theme song."
Heidi added, "Let's hope these better days last and it's all smooth sailing from here. Fingers crossed."
