…this post features another personal story, this time that of Norwegian extreme triathlete Heiko Sepp.
The 11-minute video transcribed below can be found here. The narrator is John Bowe, an English actor best known for his roles in Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
Narrator: Before the [covid] vaccine, Heiko embodied supreme vitality and excellent health. He trained and competed with utmost caution, always free from injuries, without any heart or joint problems.
Heiko: Before the vaccine my condition was really good
Narrator: His exceptionally healthy lifestyle ensured his immune system kept him free from illness. Heiko completed the 2021 Norseman competition unaware that his superhuman condition would soon undergo a devastating change leaving him disabled.
In September, following his second dose, within hours of vaccination he felt tightness in his chest and shortness of breath. Overwhelming chest pain ensued, making every breath excruciatingly painful. Heiko’s chest pain progressed to a critical state and he crumbled to the floor, struggling with a sense of suffocation.
Heiko: It was so painful in my chest I had problems to breathe. I couldn’t get any oxygen at all. One moment I felt… that’s death or something.
Narrator: His wife Ann called the ambulance, and Heiko ended up at the Oslo University hospital.
Ann: It was really scary and… I had the kids who were crying because they’ve never seen Heiko like that... They’ve seen him always… strong and… they didn’t understand why an ambulance had to pick him up.
Narrator: At the hospital Heiko was diagnosed with vaccine-related heart inflammation. After vaccination, Heiko developed a severe autoimmune disease, plunging him into a world of constant pain and agony, forever altering the course of his life, and ending his journey as a top level athlete… setting him on a path to face the greatest challenge of his life.
Heiko: I’ve been suffering a lot… all day full of pain, especially my left side. It’s hard to explain how difficult it’s been. I have really high pain tolerance because I used to do Ironman, but this pain is sometimes so horrible that [a] grown-up man basically want to cry.
Narrator: He endures a long list of debilitating symptoms including episodes of fainting, tremors, fatigue, and extreme joint and muscle pain, as well as a very weak immune system, brain fog, headaches and cold feet.
Narrator: Out of Heiko’s many symptoms, one of the most shocking ones were serious muscle spasms reminiscent of those observed in Parkinson’s disease.
Ann: He’s like… shaking. I think… it worries me and him, because he’s thinking maybe he [has Parkinson’s] but I’m always like, “No, I don’t think you have Parkinson’s” but it’s just I don’t know what is this… that you’re shaking.
Narrator: Fortunately this condition eventually became milder, but still resurfaces unpredictably.
Heiko: Especially… if I have to call or send message then it’s basically impossible, because I don’t feel my fingers.
Ann: I’ve seen him always in good shape. Before kids he used to [do] training minimum 4 hours… 3 hours… that’s his shortest training days. And then to see him not even getting up from the bed, that’s really hard. It’s like you’re just 40 years old, and how could the body just collapse like that… and it’s just so hard for me to process that.
Heiko: It’s been over two and a half [years] you know, and it’s started to totally to destroy me inside… mentally and everything.
Narrator: We reviewed Heiko’s medical history pre-vaccination and found no issues with joints, muscles, heart or immune system. Aside from a fully-recovered shoulder injury 20 years ago, Heiko has been exceptionally healthy and injury-free.
What stands out is that, immediately after vaccination, his previously non-existent medical history was suddenly overwhelmed with serious health problems, frequent doctor’s visits and hospitalisations. It took us days to go through Heiko’s extensive post-vaccination medical records.
Once very healthy, he developed an onslaught of symptoms in just a few months including neurological issues and a weakened immune system leading to frequent flu. These health issues are not simply due to athletic wear and tear. They indicate serious underlying autoimmune problems. While specialists attribute Heiko’s heart inflammation to the vaccination, and some doctors haven’t ruled out his other symptoms being vaccine-related, he has yet to receive a definitive diagnosis from the national healthcare system. They don’t know what’s wrong with him.
Heiko: I’ve been hearing exactly the same thing in every single meeting. No solution. They don't want to take any extra tests. They’re like… if you know some tests, let me know. I’m like… who is the immunologist here? Is it me? Or is it you?
Narrator: Seeking help from private clinics has devastated [Heiko and Ann] financially.
Ann: We couldn’t keep up with all the bills, so we are really behind. We can still pay like basic need, but we just owe, owe, owe…
Heiko: In the last two and a half years we [have] basically lost everything. We have been selling everything… we have at home: bicycles, skis. We have been taking credit cards to just get some help from the private clinics. We’ve been spending so much money, so much resources, time.
Narrator: Heiko hoped for full compensation for his reduced income and all his medical expenses. The Norwegian system of patient injury compensation does not recognise any of Heiko’s autoimmune symptoms as vaccine-related.
[From a letter from the authorities] “There is no permanent and significant injury… There is no basis to claim that the vaccine can cause conditions such as fatigue, tiredness or general pain lasting beyond four to six weeks… Such conditions occur frequently in the general population and can be due to many factors.”
Narrator: In other words, all of Heiko’s health problems, except for the heart problem, simply happened to occur coincidentally around the time of his vaccination, but are not caused by the vaccination.
For the two and a half years of this horrific nightmare Heiko would only receive about $140 in compensation. Heiko senses a feeling of abandonment by the national healthcare system, and he feels that he’s left without a diagnosis and the necessary treatment.
Heiko: They still keep saying basically that “You are not sick” and that’s so irritating.
Narrator: Over the years Heiko has remained committed to his rehabilitation regimen, showing up whenever his body allows him to.
Heiko: …it’s my biggest battle in my life… I have to beat it. I’m still fighting, and I hope [that] if I will get 80% of my health back where it used to be… I will be really happy.
The video ends with an appeal for support for Heiko and his family in their journey to build a new life.
In the UK, the group UK CV Family is among those working hard to help all those injured by covid vaccines:
“We aim to be a voice for those that have not yet found theirs”
Afterword
I have put together this article — and the one about Maddie de Garay — primarily with a view to appealing to those who engage much more readily with personal stories than with statistics. To paraphrase words attributed to Joseph Stalin, “One person’s life ruined is a tragedy; a million people’s lives ruined is a statistic.”
For anyone thinking something along the lines of, “Well, yes, what happened to Heiko (and Maddie) was indeed awful, but with millions of people getting vaccinated there are bound to be some rare adverse reactions,” I invite you to consider carefully e.g. these posts:
I am also reminded of the People’s Vaccine Inquiry which has been established by professionals who believe it is in the public interest to give immediate access to their expert testimony rather than wait until 2025 for the UK Covid Inquiry whose scope is in any case limited. More information can be found in this post:
