Former Triathlete Fighting ‘Biggest Battle in My Life’ After COVID Vaccine Injuries
In 2021, Heiko Sepp had conquered the sporting world.
As a world-class extreme triathlete, he was a medalist in several international competitions and was in peak physical condition.
All that changed after he got two COVID-19 shots in the summer and fall of 2021.
Immediately after his second dose in September 2021, Sepp — who had no history of heart problems — experienced heart inflammation and severe chest pain. He was diagnosed with pericarditis linked to vaccination and subsequently experienced severe and debilitating autoimmune reactions.
Today, the father of two is facing “the greatest challenge of his life,” according to the newly released documentary, “My Biggest Battle.” The documentary chronicles Sepp’s efforts to recover from his injuries and rebuild his life.
“It’s been over two-and-a-half years and it [has started] to totally destroy me inside,” Sepp said during the documentary. “I’ve been suffering a lot. I’m all day full of pain. In the last two-and-a-half years, we basically lost everything. It’s my biggest battle in my life and I’m still fighting.”
Sepp previously lived in Norway but recently moved to Gran Canaria, an island off northwestern Africa under the jurisdiction of Spain, in hopes the warmer climate will aid his recovery.
He spoke to The Defender about the documentary, his injuries, the challenges he faces and his efforts to restore his health.
‘It feels like a knife coming inside your knees’
Sepp received doses of two different COVID-19 shots — Pfizer-BioNTech on June 29, 2021, and Moderna on Sept. 16, 2021. According to Sepp, mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines was commonplace in Norway, even though doctors told him it was “not OK at all.”
Following the first dose, Sepp experienced some mild complications, but he didn’t immediately connect them to the vaccine.
He participated in the demanding Norseman competition in the summer of 2021. He didn’t perform as well as usual, but still finished in the top 20. Sepp initially attributed his diminished performance to that year’s unusually warm summer in Norway.
After his second COVID-19 shot though, the effects were immediate. According to the documentary, within hours, Sepp felt tightness in his chest, shortness of breath and overwhelming chest pain — and that was just the start.
According to the documentary:
“After receiving the vaccine, Heiko developed a serious autoimmune disease causing his immune system to relentlessly attack his own body. During these episodes, Heiko’s entire body shuts down, leaving him bedridden.
“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.”
According to Sepp, he was experiencing symptoms associated with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS — a condition that can cause the heart to beat faster when transitioning from sitting or lying down to standing up. POTS has been linked to the COVID-19 shots.
Sepp said before his vaccination, he was in peak physical condition and rarely caught colds.
“If you check my Instagram, you can see in the wintertime I went running in the snow … after that, I’m going swimming in the ice-cold water,” Sepp said. “I was running five kilometers [approximately 3 miles] to a little lake near my house … I always jumped in the water even if it was -15°C [5°F] outside. I was sitting in the water for five minutes and then I ran back home. I never even had a winter jacket.”
Activities like this were part of the normal training for the extreme triathlon competitions he participated in. The competitions often involve swimming in below-zero conditions and long-distance runs in mountainous terrain during rainy or windy conditions.
Sepp’s injuries made it impossible for him to continue participating in the competitions. According to the documentary, “Out of Heiko’s many symptoms, one of the most shocking ones was serious muscle spasms, reminiscent of those observed in Parkinson’s disease.”
“It’s so hard to explain what kind of muscle pain you have,” Sepp said. “It feels like a knife coming inside your knees and also in the shoulder in the same way.”
Sepp’s compromised immune system also makes him susceptible to flu-like symptoms, headaches and fatigue — conditions that worsen in cold temperatures.
“I struggle to stand up in the morning. It takes me a half hour … I collapse sometimes if I stand up too fast,” Sepp said. He recounted a recent incident when he collapsed and remained immobile for four hours. At the hospital, Sepp was told his pulse was low.
Sepp said his participation in extreme triathlon events helped him develop “a really high pain tolerance” — but that the conditions he has experienced post-vaccination are “sometimes so horrible that this grown-up man basically wants to cry.”
Sepp offered $140 in compensation for his vaccine injuries
Sepp’s treatment by Norway’s national healthcare system has added insult to injury, he said.
According to the documentary, Sepp realized the doctors didn’t fully investigate the possibility of an autoimmune disease and didn’t conduct all the necessary tests. As a result, he had to seek answers in private clinics at his own expense, which placed a heavy financial burden on himself and his family.
Sepp submitted a claim to Norway’s vaccine injury compensation system but was informed earlier this year that none of his autoimmune symptoms are vaccine-related.
According to the decision letter:
“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.”
The system did offer him about $140 in compensation for vaccine-induced pericarditis. Sepp has hired a lawyer and appealed the decision, but is still awaiting the outcome.
Besides mounting legal fees, Sepp’s medical expenses are still piling up. “We are at this kind of point where we don’t have any money at all — every end of the month … we have to figure out how we will get food in our fridge.”
According to the documentary, Sepp and his family have launched a crowdfunding campaign, sold numerous personal belongings and taken on credit card debt to pay for treatment at private clinics and for his medication, including steroid tablets and injectable drugs for rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.
This course of treatment is untenable though. According to the documentary, “Heiko must avoid long-term use of steroids because of their strong side effects. He has to find another solution, yet he needs them desperately.”
The cost of moving to Gran Canaria has further contributed to his family’s financial burden — and temporarily separated Sepp from his wife and children, as Sepp has relocated first to establish a new home for his family.
“I’ve been spending all of our family money to find out where I can get treatment,” Sepp said. “Now I’m living here without my kids, without my family … because I couldn’t even walk in Norway.”
Separation from his children is difficult for Sepp who, after his early-morning workouts, typically enjoyed breakfast with his children and took them to school.
“I’ve always been the one who’s taking care of the kids,” Sepp said. “It’s so difficult for the kids at the moment because the kids are missing their father.”
‘I am never going to take any vaccine again’
Despite the challenges, Sepp is trying to rehabilitate his health.
“I am training every morning and every evening for 40 minutes. Of course, I can’t run. I miss running, but at least I can with a bike. So, it’s totally different to what I used to do, but at least I can ride with a bike,” Sepp said.
He said he spends a lot of time in the ocean, which helps his muscles “work better” and brings him happiness.
Sepp also decided to share his story publicly. Through a production team and camera crew he was already working with, Sepp’s initial intent was to produce a five-minute video. The project eventually resulted in his new documentary, with a duration of nearly 37 minutes.
Meanwhile, he said he will continue to fight on.
“It’s like it’s the biggest battle in my life. I have to beat it. I am still fighting and, I hope, if I will get 80% of my health back where it used to be, I will be really happy,” Sepp said.
This outcome may still be far from certain, but Sepp said he is sure about one thing: his feelings about vaccines.
“To be honest, I am never going to take any vaccine again in all of my life,” he said.
Watch ‘My Biggest Battle’ here:
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Frank S.
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My GF had 2 shots mandated by her university or she’d lose her scholarship. She was a hurdler on her HS track team, participated on the swim team, and even ran a full marathon. After the vax she couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without gasping. After 2 years of this she decided to detox her bloodstream with chelation therapy and apheresis/plasmapheresis, as well as taking recommended protocols from FLCCC and Dr. McCullough (a frequent contributor to this site). She has noticed dramatic improvement and a virtually complete remission of symptoms.
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