When South Metro Fire Lt. Matt Searcy fell seriously ill with COVID-19, he was told he would never be a firefighter again.
Little did medical personnel know that they told that to one tough firefighter, one that would stop at nothing to return to his crew at the 'Animal House.'
Affectionately known as 'The Godfather,' Searcy's absence left a void at the station, 9News reporters noted.
In late December 2021, he contracted COVID-19 which led to pneumonia and coughing up blood.
He was intubated and placed on a ventilator. He suffered through staph infections, blood clots, kidney failure, liver failure and other complications.
“It was literally one bad thing after another after another,” his wife, Jill said, adding that she provided daily updates to his colleagues.
Days passed with Matt in a coma and nurses fighting to keep his fevers under control. Jill visited and sent daily updates to South Metro Fire and the Animal House.
It looked very grim for some time. But Searcy had two motivators to push him once he started to regain his strength -- his family and his family at the Animal House.
“I just miss the camaraderie with the crew and the things we would do as a crew,” he told a reporter. “I miss the trainings we would do and pulling hose and throwing ladders and hitting hydrants and just driving around and just laughing.”
He started acing pulmonary function and treadmill stress tests, and his scores cleared the way for him to start working out with the wellness team at South Metro.
He sweated through grueling workouts wearing full bunker gear. He was determined to prove the medical professionals wrong.
Trainers and fellow firefighters watched as he suited up in July for one last test.
He carried a heavy hose up flights of stairs, dragged a dummy across the ground, threw a ladder against a wall and climbed up it, and beat an ax against a rubber tire.
On July 31, 2022, the Godfather returned to the Animal House for his first shift in seven months.
