Unvaccinated 24-Year-Old Has Double Lung Transplant After Catching COVID

An unvaccinated 24-year-old man with no underlying health conditions has had a double lung transplant after catching COVID.

Blake Bargatze, from Florida, had the procedure on June 28, according to a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for him.

He believes he caught the virus at a live music show in Florida. Days later he was struggling to breathe, Fox5 Atlanta reported.

Bargatze ended up in a Florida hospital ICU on April 10, before he was transferred to a facility in Georgia. There he was put on a machine that oxygenates blood outside of the body in order to rest his lungs. He was once again transferred, to a hospital in Maryland, on June 12.

Bargatze experienced complications that extensively damaged his lungs, and left him needing a double lung transplant.

He was the only member of his family not to get vaccinated, instead deciding to wait, according to his mother Cheryl Nuclo.

Nuclo told Fox5 Atlanta: "But, the night before he was intubated, he wanted it. So, it was a little bit too late then."

Bargatze has not been able to walk for over three months and has limited movement of his feet and arms. He is also unable to speak as he recovers, and communicates with his mother via lip reading.

Nuclo said: "He's saying he wants more people to get the vaccine because he doesn't want them to go through what he's gone through."

Bargatze was expected to spend between six to eight months recovering in Baltimore.

Nuclo told Fox5 Atlanta her son was healthy and had no underlying medical conditions before catching COVID. Certain chronic conditions such as chronic lung diseases, diabetes, and heart problems, among others, can raise a person's risk of developing severe COVID, and dying.

Nuclo said the family fears his vaping habit may have made him more vulnerable to COVID. Evidence suggests it may be linked to being diagnosed with COVID.

Dr. Peter Barrett, medical director for the cardiac intensive care unit at Piedmont Atlanta who helped to treat Bargatze, told Fox5 Atlanta: "We had him for, my recollection is, 48 days. It became clear that his lungs weren't going to recover."

Barrett then had to tell Nuclo her son would need to have a double lung transplant.

Nuclo said: "I was, like, 'No, no. Because I know it's probably the hardest transplant to go through, and the longevity is not good. But, then there are some people that have lived many years."

Bargatze wanted his story to be shared to raise awareness about the dangers of COVID, his mother said.

"Blake isn't the only 24-year-old this has happened to, or younger people. Like I said, COVID is real. It's not gone. People need to be aware and be careful."

Nuclo said: "He's going to be in a lot of therapy for a while, but he's doing very well. But, it's hard, it's horrible."