CORONADO, Calif. (KGTV) - The wife of a San Diego sailor is making a plea for prayers as her husband begins receiving a last-resort treatment for COVID-19.
Tammy Denny was the first to get sick. She first felt symptoms on Christmas Eve. Within a week, her husband Ryan became ill.
“He had a fever and body aches, “said Tammy Denny.
Ryan tested positive for COVID-19. More than two weeks ago, Ryan was hospitalized with double pneumonia.
A few days after a photo of Tammy and Ryan was taken in the hospital, the 29-year-old sailor, who has no underlying conditions, was intubated.
“As tough as it gets. It’s really hard,” said a tearful Tammy.
Then, on Thursday, Ryan was placed on an ECMO machine, which pumps and oxygenates the blood outside the body. It is considered a last-resort option.
“On pins and needles. The minutes feel like hours, and the hours feel like days,” said Tammy.
The gravity of his condition remains hard to absorb. Ryan, a Navy in-flight technician and instructor at Naval Base Coronado, enlisted nearly 11 years ago
“He loves his country, and he loves his family,” said Tammy.
Two years ago, he became a new father.
“He loves her more than anything in this world. He’s literally the best father you can imagine,” said Tammy.
Tammy says Ryan was the epitome of health, eating healthy and working out at the gym five days a week.
He received two Pfizer vaccine doses in late spring but has not yet received a booster shot. As he fights for his life, Tammy is making a plea for prayers.
"We just want a miracle at this point. This is our Hail Mary … Say a prayer. We’d really appreciate it … The more people that can be praying over him and for him, and lifting him up, I know that’s what he would want,” said Tammy.
On Friday afternoon, Ryan was transferred from Naval Medical Center San Diego to another local hospital.
A Gofundme campaignhas been set up to help the Denny family with expenses.
