The flu shot doesn't usually fall into the usual public discussion around vaccines. The people who get the flu shot are usually the very young and elderly, caregivers, teachers, and others who are required to due to circumstances or occupation. Only about one-third of Americans got the shot last year, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that about 155.3 million doses of the vaccine were distributed for the 2017-2018 flu season.
Many people simply don't get the flu shot if they aren't required to, but with strains becoming more serious and more varied year after year, there's been a push to encourage more people to get the vaccine.
A woman from St. Louis learned just how serious the flu could be during the 2017-2018 flu season when her partner caught it. She took to Twitter to share her story after a long, emotional journey to raise awareness of how bad the flu can get. Now she and her husband are pushing people to get the flu shot, even if they don't think they need it.
After nearly losing her husband after a bout of the flu, Lindsay Vehlewald decided to take to Twitter to share their story and encourage people to get vaccinated. Charlie also shared his side of the story.
Lindsey began by explaining that she got her first flu shot this year. The experience she's opening up about is one that only people close to her knew before now.
Lindsey explained that she and her husband, Charlie Hinderliter, both contracted the flu in January. When Charlie's fever spiked over two weeks after he had first gotten sick, Lindsay took him to the ER.
Within 15 minutes of being seen, Charlie was being placed in a medically induced coma. The flu had turned into pneumonia, which turned into a blood infection. His organs were failing, and he was in septic shock.
Charlie was in the coma for 10 days before being transferred to ICU, where he stayed for two months. He lost 40 pounds, predominately in muscle.
His organs slowly began to work on their own again. He was forced to relearn many of his basic functions, like walking, talking, and eating. He stayed in a nursing facility recovering for another month after all his organs regained function.
Charlie was cleared to go home just two days before his 38th birthday. Months before, they were telling Lindsey to make funeral arrangements. His recovery was remarkable, but still very much a work-in-progress.
He went back to work full time in September, nine months after first getting sick. It's made the couple so aware of how fragile life is and the importance of doing everything possible to preserve it.
Lindsey reminded everyone that there are options for those who are afraid of getting shots — for example, many flu vaccines can be delivered via nasal spray.
She asks that everyone do what they can to prevent spreading the virus so that they don't have to suffer through what she and Charlie did.
Lindsey and Charlie hope that by sharing their story, people will realize how sick a fairly young, healthy person can get and that the risk simply isn't worth it.
Lindsey received an outpouring of thanks and support for sharing this story. One ICU nurse marveled, not often hearing how extensive recovery can be for flu patients.
Another woman thanked Lindsey for changing her mind and sent her well wishes to the couple.
Charlie does have some permanent damage as a result of his brush with death. He suffers from some hearing loss and scarring as a result, but will otherwise make a full recovery.
It couldn't have been easy for Lindsey and Charlie to decide to share this experience, but they know it's important to encourage others to get their flu shots.
