Man who contracted Covid-19 at Miami Winter Party Festival shares shocking before and after photos
"I wanted to show it can happen to anyone."
By Will Stroude
A man who contracted Covid-19 at an LGBTQ festival in Florda in March has shared shocking before and after images after spending six weeks in hospital on a ventilator.
Mike Schultz, a nurse from San Francisco, had no underlying health conditions when he fell ill with Covid-19 after attending Miami Winter Party Festival in March, before US lockdown restrictions were imposed.
The 43-year-old was rushed to hospital just over a week after attending the LGBTQ event, which has since been linked to at least 38 confirmed coronavirus cases, and three deaths.
Once there, he was sedated, intubated and placed on a ventilator, before making a slow recovery.
Last week, Schultz shared pictures of himself before and after his body had been ravaged by the effects of Covid-19, saying he hoped it would serve as a reminder that the disease “can hapen to anyone.”
“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”, he wrote.
“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.”
Speaking to Buzzfeed, Schultz, whose weight plummeted from 190lbs to 140lbs in the space of six weeks, said he was aware of the risks when he attended Miami Winter Party Festival but considered his personal risk low because of his age and health.
“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.”
For the latest advice and guidance on Covid-19 visit the NHS website.