The mission of a former footballer to vaccinate others after nearly dying of COVID



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As a former Division I college football player for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, Justin Moon has faced many challenges on the pitch.

But more than a decade later, the 36-year-old stepfather may have met his toughest opponent yet, when the coronavirus left him fighting for his life earlier this summer, just days away. before he was ready to receive his first dose of the vaccine, he said. .

“There is only one step beyond where I was, and that is cremation or going to your box,” said Moon, who is still hospitalized but on the road to recovery, said at ABC News. “Actually, I was dead for 4 minutes, and they rowed me up and brought me back.”

Moon, from Guntersville, Alabama, has been an athlete his entire life, and prior to his diagnosis of COVID, he said he had no known underlying health issues.

“I have never been sick and I have never missed a day of work,” said Moon, who spent more than 10 weeks in the hospital, including almost six weeks on a ventilator. “I couldn’t do anything but blink my eyes. I couldn’t speak, I didn’t lift my head from the pillow. You have to understand, being a former 300 pound athlete… man, that was tough. “

Now he and his wife, Mel, have been dedicated to raising awareness about the vaccination and said their efforts have helped encourage some 250 people to get vaccinated.

“Never dreamed … that would be our story”

What first appeared to be a sinus infection in July turned out to be much more serious than anyone could have imagined, Moon’s wife Mel said.

“We never dreamed in a million years that this would be our story,” Mel said.

When his symptoms worsened, Justin was taken to the hospital and, within six days of being hospitalized, he was put on a ventilator.

“At one point the doctors told my aunt, my daughter-in-law and my wife to prepare for a call in the next 24 hours, to come here, you know, to say goodbye. It’s going to happen, it’s only a matter of time, ”Moon said.

When vaccines became widely available, Moon said he was hesitant given the mixed messages about vaccinations in political circles. Even though the company he works for, Waste Connections, encouraged workers to get vaccinated, he chose not to get vaccinated after avoiding illness in the first wave of the pandemic.

“I was very uncertain, so I just stood still. And I was wrong, ”Moon said.

“COVID doesn’t care”

In the state of Alabama, only 42% of residents were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus on Wednesday, a reality that led the state to a record increase over the summer. Although infection rates are starting to decline, less than 2% of intensive care unit beds remain available statewide.

The vast majority of patients currently hospitalized at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have not been vaccinated, according to hospital Brent Patterson, and those who tend to be better and avoid serious illness are vaccinated.

“COVID doesn’t care. If you’re healthy, but not vaccinated, it will take everyone, ”Patterson said.

Right before his diagnosis, Moon was worried about the growing number of infections in the state. After a colleague tested positive for the virus, Moon said he had overcome his skepticism and made the decision, along with his wife, Mel, to get the vaccine.

His decision, ultimately, came too late, when he tested positive for the virus just days before he was scheduled to be vaccinated.

“If I hadn’t been unsure of the vaccine, it probably would have happened like many other stories,” Moon said. “Headache, shortness of breath, lying on the couch.”

‘Do your homework’

In an effort to help people truly understand the realities of COVID-19, the Moon family has decided to share their story in their community.

“We don’t want anyone to have to go through what we’ve been through. And that’s the lesson we learned: don’t stand still, do your homework. Don’t listen to the bad forces, talk to your doctor and family, ”Mel said. “There can’t be anything about being vaccinated that is that bad.”

So far, Moon’s wife, who works to spread the word with her employer, says her story has convinced at least 250 unvaccinated people in the community to get vaccinated.

Moon’s family collected text messages and emails from people who contacted them to let them know they had been vaccinated after hearing Justin’s story. As of this week, they said they had heard from at least 250 newly vaccinated people.

“They hear the whole story of what’s going on with me, and if they had any doubts, or if we’re just in the same situation as me, they see me and see that I very, very rarely got sick. or that I had problems… if we could affect Justin like that… it could be a lot, a lot worse, ”said Justin Moon.

Moon still has a long way to go, in the midst of grueling rehab, as he struggles to regain his strength and sense of sensation in his dominant right arm, which is still completely numb. He is also relearning to stand up and walk again, and he still needs oxygen after walking a few meters.

“Few people get a second chance at life,” Moon said. “But it didn’t have to be like that. The story could have been very different.

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