CORONADO, Calif. (KGTV) - The wife of a Navy sailor says her hopes for a miracle have come true after her husband was recently removed from a last-resort COVID treatment.
ABC 10news first spoke with Tammy Denny on January 21, almost a month after her husband, Navy sailor Ryan Denny, first became sick with COVID-19, which led to double pneumonia.
Ryan had been placed on a ventilator, and a day before the interview, he had been placed on an ECMO, which pumps and oxygenates the blood outside the body. It's considered a last-resort option.
“We just want a miracle at this point. This is our Hail Mary,” said Tammy Denny in that interview.
The gravity of his condition was hard to take in.
Ryan, an in-flight technician and instructor at Naval Base Coronado, was in excellent health. The 29-year-old father of a two-year-old girl was vaccinated, but not yet boosted.
Tammy asked for any television viewer who was willing, to say a prayer. And they did.
“Entire churches have been praying over us. We’ve received such an outpouring of love and support and prayer. I get goosebumps just talking about it,” said Tammy.
A Camp Pendleton-based Boy Scout troop sent ABC 10News messages of support they created for the family.
Nearly three weeks after her plea, there was a stunning turnaround with Ryan’s oxygen levels.
“So amazing, I have cried happy tears every day. We have danced, laughed, screamed,” said Tammy.
On Monday, Ryan was removed from the ECMO. Just days prior, doctors told Tammy he would likely remain on it for months.
“We definitely are witnessing a miracle. I literally witnessed him coming back to life before my eyes,” said Tammy. “He’s making progress every day.”
Ryan remains partially on a ventilator, but Tammy says he's close to being off of it. It’s a remarkable recovery she believes was sparked by a community's prayers.
"I want to so thank every single person who has prayed, because we know it's working. We know that God is working in him,” said a tearful Tammy.
Tammy says Ryan is awake, humbled by the outpouring of support and ready to begin the work of healing.
“Not sure if he actually remembers this, but within 24 to 48 hours of waking up from a coma, he was in his bed, doing squats,” said Tammy.
Ryan still faces a long recovery, but doctors told Tammy the healing in his lungs had been remarkable and he could make a full recovery.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help the family with medical and other expenses.
