Former YCSO deputy in hospital fighting COVID-19
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A former Yuma County Sheriffs Office (YCSO) sergeant who served the Yuma community for 27 years is in a Tucson hospital fighting for his life due to COVID-19.
In a GoFund Me set up by family for Miguel Caudillo, he is best described as spontaneous and down to earth.
His daughter Karina Caudillo says he was a familiar face around town, and his family would tease him and say,
"He'll go shopping and not even 10 minutes there will be someone that recognizes him. If it's not a friend it's someone he met at work."
Caudillo spent 27 years working for YCSO and retired in 2013. Since Caudillo is the sole provider for his wife and his wife's sister who has a disability, he works for a private security company in Yuma.
On June 27, Caudillo went to Urgent Care where he was told to head to the emergency room because his oxygen levels were dropping.
A few hours after being admitted to Yuma Regional Medical Center for observation for COVID-19 symptoms, Caudillo's family received a call saying he was being flown to Banner Medical Center in Tucson.
The next morning Caudillo's family says he was having a difficult time breathing and his oxygen levels continued to drop. The family was told he was going to be placed in a medically induced coma.
Caudillo spent the next five days in the medically induced coma, and was taken out of the coma July 3.
Karina says he is still in the intensive care unit, and his doctor says Caudillo is still not in the clear as he could possibly still have bad days with the good.
Caudillo was finally able to speak to his wife and daughters on Sunday where Karina says,
"He was coughing a little bit so I didn't want to overexert him. He was a little grouchy because he just wanted to get out of the hospital."
Karina says they don't really know how he caught the virus, but they can't wait for him to make it back home for a full recovery.
The family is asking for the community to pray that Caudillo makes it home soon, and is asking for donations to help with medical bills, as Caudillo doesn't have health insurance.
