A gym enthusiast father-of-two who refused the coronavirus vaccine has issued a plea from his intensive care bed for others to take the jab.
Artur Brylowski, from Wrexham, Wales is currently receiving treatment after being rushed into Wrexham Maelor Hospital with breathing difficulties last month.
The 42-year-old says he regrets turning down the vaccine months earlier after falling seriously ill with coronavirus.
Artur tested positive at the end of July and his condition quickly deteriorated.
He said a week before he was admitted to the hospital he really began to feel the effects of the virus and began to think he'd "never see my family again."
Artur told Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board that he took paracetamol and ibuprofen but neither made any difference.
He said: "My wife was extremely worried about me as I was struggling to breathe so she called for an ambulance. I don’t really remember much after that."
Artur began to deteriorate a few days later in the Critical Care Unit and his Consultant, Dr Andy Campbell discussed the possibility of him being placed on a ventilator.
“I never expected to be this sick, I’ve had flu before but this was different, I couldn’t breathe – it was frightening.
“The doctor told me my condition was deteriorating and there was a possibility I would be placed on a ventilator as I was struggling so much with my breathing. This terrified me – I thought I’d never see my family again."
When the vaccine was offered to over 40s in April, Artur turned it down as he believed the virus would only severely affect the older population and if he did catch Covid he would not become severely ill.
He said: “It’s hard to say why I never took up the vaccine; it wasn’t that I was against it – I just felt it was rushed out quickly and may not be safe.
“There was also a lot of things on social media that put me off, people saying different things, some saying get the vaccine and others saying don’t.
“I thought I’d be ok, I’m only 42 and very healthy, I go to the gym on a regular basis, I don’t smoke or drink alcohol.
“During the last year you mainly heard that it was the older generation that got very sick - I never thought this would happen to me.”
Dr Campbell, who is the Clinical Lead at Wrexham Maelor Hospital’s Critical Care Unit says they have seen an increase of younger people being admitted with the virus.
He said: “Artur is a young man, he’s fit and well and came into us with severe Covid.
“At one point there was a very high chance he could have been placed on a ventilator as his oxygen levels were so low. This was a very hard conversation to have with someone so fit and young knowing the high mortality rate in ventilated Covid patients."
Artur has currently spent around two weeks in hospital and expects to be recovering for many weeks to come.
He said: “When I leave hospital I will consult with my GP the best time to take up the vaccine."
