The coronavirus pandemic has changed the lives of millions of people across the world. Even those who haven’t been infected by the virus have felt its consequences, a protracted lockdown, empty stores, and an economic crisis that left millions jobless and without their livelihood.
One man has shared the photos of what COVID-19 did to him after 6 weeks in the hospital
Mike Schultz, a 43-year-old nurse from San Francisco, was a healthy individual with no pre-existing medical conditions before COVID-19 changed his life forever. On March 14th, he’d arrived in Boston from San Francisco to see his boyfriend and could not have dreamed that only two days later, he would be at a hospital and treated as a coronavirus patient.
On the day of his arrival, he felt a bit under the weather but did not have a fever or the other usual COVID-19 symptoms, such as cough.
What promised to be a good time with his boyfriend, turned into a long struggle with the novel coronavirus
“We knew it was out there,” said Schultz. “There were no real restrictions in place, though. No lockdowns. We just thought, Well, we gotta wash our hands more and be wary of touching our face,” Mike said.
A week before he displayed the symptoms, Mike and his boyfriend visited Miami Beach to attend the Winter Party Festival, an event that drew thousands of people to the area, most of whom were unaware of the danger the virus posed.
“It can happen to anyone”
Days after his arrival in Boston, Mike and his boyfriend, Josh, began displaying serious symptoms. He came down with a fever and experienced difficulty breathing and was rushed to a hospital. Mike told how one of the doctors said he was going to intubated, which freaked him out.
He received oxygen through his nose and then via a face mask and was sedated.
“There was no one else around, and I would be the one to make decisions for him,” his boyfriend Josh said. “It was definitely scary.”
After spending four and a half weeks intubated, Mike began a road to recovery and is battling with the consequences
Mike had lost track of time and thought only a week had gone by since he was admitted to a hospital.
“I was so weak. This was one of the most frustrating parts,” he recalled. “I couldn’t hold my cellphone; it was so heavy. I couldn’t type, because my hands shook so much.”
Six weeks at a hospital, four of which he spent intubated took their toll on his body as he lost nearly 50 pounds during this period. The virus has significantly reduced his lung capacity, even though he no pre-existing health conditions and had led a healthy lifestyle.
“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,” Mike said. “I thought I was young enough for it not to affect me, and I know a lot of people think that.
The virus can affect anyone, the best thing we can do to prevent it is to protect ourselves
As Mike pointed out, it can happen to anyone, whether they’re young or old, or have pre-existing medical conditions or not. The risk is higher for older people and those with medical conditions that impact their immunity, but healthy people can get develop serious symptoms as well.
Mike is already on a road to full recovery and is not looking back. The first thing he did after he had returned home from the hospital was to order two double cheeseburgers, small fries, and a strawberry shake from McDonald’s.
