This picture of a 43-year-old coronavirus survivor shows how the virus can wreck the body of the infected person. Mike Schultz posted an image of himself on social media before and after the coronavirus infection.
Schultz was in hospital for two months after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. The image shows him having lost at least 50 pounds in these two months. Speaking to BuzzFeed News, he opened up about the reason he posted the photo and said he wanted to show it can happen to anyone.
The picture in the left was taken one month before getting admitted to the hospital and the other was taken after he was discharged. He warned people and asked them to be careful as it does not matter if you are young or old, whether you have preexisting conditions or not, it (COVID-19) can affect you.
Schultz works as a nurse in San Francisco. He had no preexisting conditions and was a fitness geek, who worked out almost every day. He weighed 190 pounds before getting infected by COVID-19. But after getting treated at a Boston hospital for six weeks, he weighed 140 pounds.
Explaining his health condition after discharge, he said he couldn't even stand up for a few minutes to pose for the photograph. He felt exhausted and his lung capacity was also affected.
What Schultz Couldn't Do!
Feeling weak was one of the most frustrating parts of getting infected by COVID-19. He could not hold his cellphone and felt it was heavy. He couldn't type easily and his hands trembled most of the time.
Maybe because Shultz was used to the hospital atmosphere he thought that the six-week stay in hospital was like as if he had spent one week in the hospital. When in hospital as a patient one loses track of time, he said.
Before testing for COVID-19, Schultz had been to a Miami Beach festival and then traveled to Boston with his boyfriend in mid-March. Among those who attended the Miami festival, 38 had tested positive for COVID-19 and three reportedly died of the infection.
Schultz told BuzzFeed News that though there were restrictions they thought that washing hands often and not touching one's face would keep the coronavirus away. When in Boston, he first had the symptoms and was burning up from a 103-degree fever. Schultz had felt that his lungs were filled with liquid.
In the hospital, he was intubated for more than a month. Schultz is facing a backlash for attending the Miami Beach festival despite restrictions.
