"They compared me to the satanic deity."
She contracted COVID, and due to a previous health issue, had to be amputated. But then, she started to read wild theories written about her on social media. Here's what happened next ...
She contracted COVID, and due to a previous health issue, had to be amputated. But then, she started to read wild theories written about her on social media. Here's what happened next ...
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00:00I've got comments that I was a sinner.
00:02People have said that I was a part of a death cult.
00:04And they compared me to the satanic deity Baphomet.
00:08I wasn't real, that I was a plant.
00:11In January 2022, Claire Bridges, a 20-year-old aspiring model from Tampa,
00:16contracted COVID.
00:17A congenital heart disease exacerbated its effects,
00:20leading to her having her legs amputated.
00:22Before long, anti-vaccine activists incorrectly began using her story
00:26as an anti-vax cautionary tale.
00:28It enraged me because I've never been one to allow people to speak for me.
00:34So having someone not only speak for me, but not even tell the truth,
00:39not even know me, not know my story, really, really just made me mad.
00:44Now, Bridges wants to set the record straight.
00:47I was born with aortic valve stenosis.
00:49It's something I've known my entire life.
00:51I had a procedure done when I was six weeks old.
00:54I had open heart surgery when I was nine.
00:56When COVID hit, I also got pneumonia, and I got rhabdomyolysis.
01:02And how rhabdomyolysis works is it attacks your muscles,
01:05and your heart is a muscle.
01:07Mine is my weakest muscle.
01:09It did not bode well.
01:11My heart basically gave up.
01:13It all progressed really horribly.
01:16I flatlined three times because I was so ill, and I was on life support,
01:21and I couldn't even speak for a while.
01:23They basically told me, hey, this is what's happened.
01:26We need to amputate your legs.
01:27While Bridges recovered, the misinformation campaign began.
01:32So I found out my story was being hijacked.
01:34Slowly through Twitter, people would send me things,
01:37or people would comment things.
01:39I would see myself tagged and stuff on Instagram.
01:42But there was a bit on Twitter that wasn't like it.
01:46They just completely skewed my story to their personal agenda.
01:51They would say things like it was from the vaccine.
01:55They would also leave out key information.
01:59They would leave out that I have a congenital heart issue.
02:03They would say that it was from blood clots,
02:05which I never had blood clots.
02:07That was the first thing they looked for.
02:09And yes, I was vaccinated.
02:10Like, it wasn't the vaccine.
02:12It was literally how it mingled with my heart condition.
02:17My way to set the record straight was to be open about it on Instagram.
02:23I wanted people to know my story and not have any confusion.
02:27Most of the time, I would laugh at what people would say
02:30because you kind of, at that point,
02:32just have to let it roll off of you so it doesn't consume you.
02:36But, yeah, I mean, I still would get very angry.
02:40I had people reaching out and new amputees reaching out,
02:45telling me that, you know, I helped them.
02:49And if I can help anyone going through anything,
02:52that's what I want to do.
02:54I want to be able to give that.
02:56And I'm just looking forward to rock climbing again,
02:59running long distance for the first time, and modeling.
03:04I'm just, I'm excited for life.