I’m reporting on this for a couple of reasons. One, the book Body for Life changed my life in the late 90s, when I was in my late 20s. It was written by fitness expert Bill Phillips, whom this story is about. I lost a bunch of weight and got in the best shape of my life using the principles in that book. I do a different (half assed) routine now, but it really helped me back then. Two, I know people who claim they’ve already had covid and don’t need to get vaccinated. That can be a deadly mistake as this story shows.
Phililps, who turns 57 this month, used to be in peak physical shape as an old school fitness influencer. He made the decision not to get vaccinated after contracting covid and taking an antibody test. Although he tested positive for covid antibodies, he still got deathly ill and had to be hospitalized and put on a ventilator for a month and a half. He didn’t wake up for over two weeks. He’s being discharged now, having lost 70 pounds and now requiring a wheelchair. Phillips and his wife, Maria, are sharing his story to warn people to get vaccinated even if they’ve already had covid. A video interview with him and his wife is below and here’s the writeup.
He was once a fitness coach and the epitome of strength – now after two months in the hospital, Bill Phillips is a changed man.
The 56-year-old didn’t think he needed the COVID-19 vaccine and that decision almost killed him.
Phillips said he caught the virus the first time in January 2020. A test found he had antibodies so he decided to not get vaccinated. He caught COVID-19 again in June 2021.
At first, he and his wife, Maria Phillips, thought he had a sinus infection. Then he developed a terrible cough. He got so sick that he went to the emergency room at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood.
“If we had waited even an hour longer. Bill might have just taken a nap and not woken up,” said Maria Phillips, his wife.
Maria Phillips said her husband was intubated for 47 days. He didn’t wake up for 18 days. After two months in the hospital, the couple is getting ready to leave the hospital on Wednesday.
“Bill was so strong and independent and worked out and did all these things,” she said. “Now he’s in a wheel chair. He can’t walk. He can’t exercise. He’s on oxygen.”
Bill will be discharged from the hospital 70 pounds lighter.
“It didn’t help that I could bench press 300 pounds or run a mile straight up a hill,” he said. “I’ve been in a lot of pain and I have lost a lot, but I have gained a new outlook on life that is for sure.”
If he had a chance to do it again, he would do it differently. The Phillips are using their experience to encourage others to get the vaccine.
“That mistake came that close to costing me my life,” he said.
A quick look at Wiki shows that Phillips has given over $5 million to Make a Wish and that he’s been honored for his philanthropy. He has supplement and nutrition lines, Met-Rx and EAS, and is surely a millionaire many times over. None of that matters when he no longer has his health. I know these stories are tiresome, but we need to share them with people we know who claim they’re in great health or that they don’t need to get vaccinated because they’ve already had covid. Everyone needs to get vaccinated. Obviously being physically fit, eating well and having some antibodies is not enough. Bill and his wife Maria deserve credit for being so open about this. I also think they’re not like typical antivaxxers because they made a calculated decision based on taking an antibody test.
Left: Fitness coach Bill Phillips pre-covid
Right: Bill, 70 pounds lighter, barely surviving COVID-19 after deciding not to get the vaccine.
He’s getting discharged from St. Anthony Hospital on Wednesday with a new outlook on life and the shot. #9News pic.twitter.com/MfQKbf04Mq
— Kelly Reinke (@KellyReinkeTV) August 24, 2021
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