Coronavirus survivor shares shocking weight loss pictures

Mike Schultz, a 43-year-old nurse from San Francisco, normally entertains his 30,000 Instagram followers by posting muscular selfies, workout videos, and couple pictures with his boyfriend.

However, in one of his most recent Instagram posts, he wasn't showing off his muscles or a post-workout selfie. Instead, Schultz posted an alarming side-by-side comparison of his body before and after his six-week fight with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Schultz told BuzzFeed News that at the end of his six-week battle with COVID-19, he weighed 140 pounds.

Schultz is one of 38 people believed to have gotten sick from the virus after attending the Winter Party Festival in Miami. The festival took place March 4-10 — ending a day before the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic.

While concern about the virus was mounting as more cases popped up in different parts of the US, most cities hadn't yet gone on lockdown and many people were generally going about their regular day-to-day lives.

Though he knew about the virus, Schultz told BuzzFeed News that because he was young and had no underlying conditions he figured he could risk a trip to see his boyfriend, a 29-year-old DJ named Josh Hebblethwaite, perform at the festival.

I didn't think it was as serious as it was until after things started happening," Schultz told BuzzFeed News. "I thought I was young enough for it not to affect me, and I know a lot of people think that."

A week later, Schultz was back in San Francisco and feeling a bit under the weather but didn't think much of it. On March 14, he flew to Boston to be with Hebblethwaite during lockdown.

Two days later, he was in the hospital with a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit and liquid in his lungs.

"I was so weak. This was one of the most frustrating parts," he told BuzzFeed News. "I couldn't hold my cellphone; it was so heavy. I couldn't type, because my hands shook so much."

On the left, Schultz was 190 pounds of clearly defined muscle. On the right, his face was visibly more hollow, his body about 50 pounds lighter.

Schultz was transported to a larger hospital within four days, where he was intubated for 4 1/2 weeks. Hebblethwaite was quickly made his medical proxy in case anything were to happen to him. Approximately 57 days after he was taken to the hospital, Schultz was able to leave with Hebblethwaite. His lung capacity is still recovering after his ordeal with COVID-19 and food tastes a bit different, according to his most recent Instagram post.