Blake Bargatze was admitted to hospital on July 14, 2021. Blake Bargatze/Cheryl Nuclo
After receiving COVID-19 in April, a Georgian man needed a double lung transplant.
Blake Bargatze was healthy, but he had not been vaccinated prior to falling ill.
Insider spoke to the 25-year old, who said that the virus had made his lungs look like "chewed-up pieces of bubblegum."
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After falling ill in April with COVID-19, a 25-year old man had to have a double lung transplant. He said that the virus made his lungs look like "chewed-up pieces of bubblegum."
Blake Bargatze, a Georgian, was admitted to ICU after he became seriously ill with the coronavirus.
His condition deteriorated during his stay and doctors advised him to live. He needed new lungs. He received a double lung transplant in June.
Insider spoke to the 25-year old, who said he was shocked by how fast COVID-19 attacked him.
He said, "It just took my lungs away." They looked like chewed-up pieces of bubblegum when they removed them. They were full of holes. I was fortunate to have not suffered multiple organ failures.
Bargatze is one of few people who have received a double transplant due to the coronavirus. This virus has killed more than 687,000 Americans so far, according to Johns Hopkins University's tracker.
He believes that he caught the virus in March at a concert in Florida, which he regrets not attending. He was wearing a mask at the time, but he wasn't vaccinated.
According to his mother, this is partly because he was not yet eligible for a vaccine, but also because it was a matter of time before he decided to wait and be concerned about side effects.
WXIA spoke to her: "He wanted it out for like 10 years, kinda like how a lot want it out for longer."
The 25-year old is now urging others to get their vaccines.
"I want to raise awareness about the potential dangers of this virus. He told Insider that it was not worth the risk.
Continue the story
He said that people are still being "reckless", even though the highly infectious Delta virus continues to cause an increase in hospitalizations, particularly among unvaccinated.
The 25-year old is optimistic about his future and hopes to soon be able to return his favorite hobbies of fishing and pool playing with his friends. He will be returning to work next week, which he considers a "major achievement".
Bargate still takes 50 pills per day but he's happy to be walking again. Since then, he has also received both his COVID-19 vaccines.
Bargatze's family has created a GoFundMe page to pay his medical bills.
Insider has the original article.
