He was an athlete in the best shape of his life. Then Covid-19 nearly killed him

A 40-year-old man taking part in athletic competitions shared a “before and after” photo showing the shocking effect of the coronavirus on his body.

Ahmad Ayyad, who lives in Washington, D.C., felt the first flu-like symptoms on March 11. Only a few days later, after confirmation of the presence of coronavirus in his body, he was placed in John Hopkins Hospital.

He then became the first Covid-19 patient at the facility to be connected to a respiratory machine. Over the next 25 days, Ahmad was sedated and in a rather delirious state, losing more than 50 pounds.

According to the hospital, the athlete weighed 220lbs when he was first admitted, and almost a month later he woke up from an artificial coma and discovered that he weighed only 152 lbs.

Image credit : Instagram @ahmadbird

“The day I woke up in the intensive care unit of the hospital, I weighed 152 lbs. My legs and arms were weak, and my chest muscles were gone. I couldn’t believe how hard it was for me to even stand up.”

Before falling ill, he played basketball several times a week, he did weightlifting, and competed regularly in obstacle races, including climbing walls and carrying heavy objects. But now he had to learn to walk and talk again.

The virus also attacked his internal organs – when Ahmad was released from hospital on April 22, he still had a blood clot in the vein of his left arm, and his heart and lungs were damaged.

Although Ahmad has since resumed work on his muscles, which he lost during his hospital stay, his experience has left a lasting mark on him and the doctors who treated him.

Image credit : Instagram @ahmadbird

“He’s a real athlete and he’s young, so my first thought was, ‘If it could happen to him, it would be so painful, then it could happen to anyone.’ It really opened my eyes, ” said Natalie West, a pulmonary specialist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, who was treating the athlete.

“People are behaving as if the virus has disappeared. Wear a mask, do not group in large groups. Take care of yourself and the people around you. Take this seriously because it’s not a joke. “The virus can kill you even if you think you are healthy and immune to it.”


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