Victory Dogs food cart owner Chuck Reeder, a fixture of downtown Medford for more than a decade, prides himself on being a sturdy fellow.

It turns out, however, that enduring the aftereffects of the coronavirus — known as long-haul COVID — coupled with catching the virus a second time, was enough to knock even the saltiest of dudes back more than a few notches.

Reeder fell sick last year with the virus and never recovered enough to return full time to his food cart location near the Medford post office.

Already feeling fatigued and unwell for a year following his first bout with the virus, he tested positive again at the end of January and has been in a fight for his life.

The nearly 50-year-old has made a name for himself serving up his specialty, award-winning dogs in hundreds of variations — from Philly steak to B.L.T. — as

well as his own brand of well-intentioned snark.

Since he’s been sick, locals have turned out in droves to purchase “future” hot dogs, tell stories of past interactions with Reeder and help him make ends meet until he can return to work.

Struggling to breathe most days, Reeder, who stands 6-foot-7, said he never felt so close to death as he had over the past month. His weight has dropped from 270 pounds to 230, and he is still unable to walk more than a few steps at a time.

“For a week, my left calf got more and more painful, and then I had pains in my chest. I ended up in the hospital because one of the clots had broken up and ended up lodged in my lung. Then part of one of my lungs died,” he said.

“They said I was lucky, if you could call it that, because it was just a micro-clot and it only killed a little bit of my lung. At this point, I have to sleep a certain way or it’s very painful.”

A familiar sight at the “Eats on the Streets” food pod along Riverside Avenue, Reeder’s sign still marks his regular spot. And his regulars still check in regularly on social media.

For a time, Reeder’s two sisters, Sarah Reeder and Paula Waterbury, tried to fill the gaps and keep the food cart open to help their brother make ends meet. With the length of his absence a big unknown, however, they’ve had to put the kibosh on running Victory Dogs, instead focusing on helping him get well.

“He was struggling just to get his health back when he got COVID again,” said Sarah Reeder, noting that it’s hard to see her usually cantankerous brother so weak. She said the three siblings show their love by teasing and playfully harassing one another.

“He’s finally doing a tiny bit better energy level-wise, but he’s still in a lot of pain. He can barely walk 20 feet and has to stop to rest. He’s such a pain in my butt, but I prefer it that way to him being sick,” she said. “I’m not gonna mince words. It’s pretty bad.”

Reeder said he was grateful that his family and customers check on him.

His thoughts rarely stray from being back at his hot dog cart chatting with his many regulars, he said.

“I just feel helpless, like I’ve got to try to do something. And I do try, but then it’s like, no, I can’t even make my myself breakfast without asking for help,” he said.

“To go from sometimes 12- to 14-hour days to it being hard to stand for more than a minute before my leg starts to hurt. … I know it’s slowly getting better, but I’d like to be able to at least make an omelet.”

Sarah Reeder said community support has kept the family going.

“The amount of support is far more than I think he ever expected. For such a narcissist, I don’t think he realizes how many people love him. He’s a crusty old guy — you either love him or you hate him — but apparently a lot more people really do love him,” she said.

“In all of my memories of him, he’s always been larger than life. To see him, even personality-wise, not be quite as big, it’s been hard. I’m optimistic though, that this is not the moment in time that we lose him.”

Laughing off his sister’s depiction of his snark, Reeder urged anyone without insurance to not “leave the check engine light on” when it comes to matters of health. “Always get checked out and take your health seriously. It’s too important.”

He vowed that he’ll be back one day, serving his award-winning dogs and trying some of the new ideas he’s been mulling over.

“I will be out there again. I don’t know when. But I will be,” he said. “And when I get back to it, they’ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands before I stop doing it again.”

To help Reeder during his recovery, a GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up. For updates or to donate, see gofundme.com/f/chuck-aka-victory-dogs-needs-your-help

“I just feel helpless, like I’ve got to try to do something. And I do try, but then it’s like, no, I can’t even make my myself breakfast without asking for help.”

— Victory Dogs owner Chuck Reeder