Photograph by Mike Schultz
Mike Schultz recently shared a shocking before and after selfie after his six-week battle with COVID-19. The 43-year-old nurse from San Francisco had no underlying health conditions. He normally worked out six or seven times a week. He weighed about 190 pounds. When he spoke with BuzzFeed News on Tuesday, weeks after he’d been able to start eating foods again, he weighed just 140 pounds. His lung capacity is only now starting to slowly come back.
In a viral Instagram post, Schultz added:
I wanted to show everyone how badly being sedated for 6 weeks on a ventilator or intubated can be. Amongst other things, covid19 reduced my lung capacity with pneumonia. Over 8 weeks I’ve been away from family and friends Getting stronger everyday and working to increase my lung capacity. I’ll get back to where I was in healthier ways this time….maybe even do cardio 😱.
“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,” he said. “I thought I was young enough for it not to affect me, and I know a lot of people think that.
“I wanted to show it can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, have preexisting conditions or not. It can affect you.” You can read Mike’s full story and interview with BuzzFeed News here.
