PLAN YOUR VACCINE
Utah Nurse Practitioner Shares Story After Getting COVID-19
Jul 9, 2021, 10:50 PM | Updated: 11:15 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — One nurse practitioner in Utah shared the fears of many in getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but he never imagined the flip side of the coin — how his body would handle the virus. That’s why he wanted to share his story.
“Our passion is hiking,” said Aaron Hartle. “We hike all the time.”
Breathtaking views are worth the effort, said Hartle.
“We have a lot of really good hikes planned for the summer,” he said.
But Hartle’s plans are on hold for now. He has a different uphill battle to climb, which is also taking his breath away.
“It is really tough,” he said. “I didn’t think I was going to get it, to be honest.”
Hartle is fighting COVID-19. He has been in the hospital since Monday.
“With fairly healthy lungs like that, which I thought would protect me and keep me from getting this sick; I thought, if I ever got it, it’d be pretty simple,” he said. “It still is bad enough to keep me down.”
Like many, Hartle opted not to get the shot, concerned about its potential side effects.
“Just like a lot of us, we’re scared of the unknown. We worry that there’s gonna be long-term side effects,” he said.
Then, when he saw case numbers drop, he started to let his guard down.
“It never occurred to me that it was a choice between getting vaccinated and getting really sick,” said Hartle.
Hartle has potentially permanent lung damage, but that’s not his only concern.
“It is a little bit embarrassing,” he said. “I think there’s kind of an elephant in the room here.”
Hartle is a Family Nurse Practitioner. He said he’s worried about his patients.
“A lot of them knew that I was not planning on getting vaccinated,” he said. “I worry that my example to them was not the right example.”
That’s why he chose to share his story.
“If my story can help someone else get vaccinated and not have to go through this, then I would love to tell it,” said Hartle.
Hartle told KSL-TV he’s sure if he was infected with the virus’ Delta variant. He did, however, share some good news — his elderly mother was vaccinated Friday.
