Nurse Mike Schultz, 43, who survived COVID shares pic showing how virus ravaged body and sent weight plummeting by 50lbs
A 43-YEAR-old nurse battling coronavirus shared shocking pictures showing the drastic effect the deadly bug had on his body as his weight plummeted by 50 lbs.
Mike Schultz, 43, from San Francisco, who has no underlying conditions, shared his experience on social media to illustrate his virus battle.
He posted two images on Instagram: the first was taken about a month before he got sick and the other was snapped at a Boston hospital.
Before falling ill, he weighed around 190 pounds and worked out almost every day, according to BuzzFeed News — but coronavirus ravaged his body and his weight dropped to 140 lbs.
“I wanted to show it can happen to anyone, it doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, have pre-existing conditions or not. It can affect you,” Schultz told BuzzFeed.
“I knew what I thought going in [about the coronavirus]. I didn’t think it was as serious as it was until after things started happening.
It can happen to anyone, it doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, have pre-existing conditions or not.
Mike Schultz
“I thought I was young enough for it not to affect me, and I know a lot of people think that.
“I was so weak. This was one of the most frustrating parts. I couldn’t hold my cellphone — it was so heavy. I couldn’t type, because my hands shook so much.”
Schultz, who was hospitalized on March 16, had traveled to Boston to visit his boyfriend, Josh Hebblethwaite, 29, on March 14.
A week before, they had been to a festival in Miami Beach where at least 38 people later contracted COVID-19 and three men died.
But Schultz said there were "no real restrictions in place, though. No lockdowns."
Days after arriving in Boston, he began feeling ill and was soon rushed to hospital with a 103-degree fever and his lungs full of liquid.
He was given oxygen and sedated before being transferred to another hospital where he was intubated for over four weeks.
“There was no one else around, and I would be the one to make decisions for him,” Hebblethwaite said. “It was definitely scary.”
“About four weeks in, the nurses were nice enough to FaceTime with him.
"It was pretty much like he was in a coma. It was definitely scary. But I was so happy to see him at that point.”
MOST READ IN NEWS
The couple say they've received a lot of abuse for attending the Florida festival, with some people saying Schultz deserved to get sick.
But he said the positive feedback has outweighed the negative comments.
After being released from hospital, he enjoyed the two double cheeseburgers, small fries and a strawberry shake he ordered at McDonald’s, although he said his taste was somewhat affected.
