Ten months after contracting COVID-19 and after several hospital stays, an Oklahoma City metro man is sharing his battle as a long hauler."I was a highly energetic, very healthy, physically fit specimen. Worked out six days a week, twice a day," Eric Leckie said. "Forty minutes cardio in the morning and then an hour and a half of weighted exercises at night and competed as an amateur bodybuilder in the MPC and benchpress champion and former athlete."That's where you could always find the 49-year-old man, who was sometimes bench pressing 400 pounds, a year ago."No underlying health issues at all. I don't smoke. I don't drink," Leckie said.Fast-forward to now, and he says he's not the same man."I'm just a shell of myself, you know? Just trying to maintain weight, but trying to eat is difficult because I get these gastrointestinal pains four or five times a day," Leckie said.>> COVID-19 in Oklahoma: New cases, deaths, breakthrough cases, vaccination ratesLeckie got COVID-19 in December 2020."I just didn't take it as serious as it should have been taken. Because of my health, I thought I was immune to it," he said.Leckie has struggled with multiple health problems for the last 10 months."Battling the chronic fatigue and heart racing and chest pains and stomach problems and nausea and stop being able to do things that I love anymore because they were stripped away from me due to this illness," he said.>> Related: Oklahoma health leaders say COVID-19 mitigation measures are key to beating pandemicLeckie was recently diagnosed with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, better known as a long hauler."My daughter is a freshman and on the pom squad," Leckie said. "I want to be able to watch her games. ... I want to be able to walk her down the aisle. I want to be able to see her and my son graduate. And I don't know if that's going to happen."Leckie wants others to know how devastating COVID-19 is and the importance of getting vaccinated."I need to fight," he said. "Fight every day for my family and for my life."