ARIZONA, USA — Editor's note: The video above is from an earlier newscast.
Brian Yazzie, an Arizona resident and former Army veteran that 12 News reported on earlier this week, has died, according to his sister Victoria Arviso.
Yazzie was battling COVID-19 and was on the waitlist for an ECMO machine, which works as an external lung.
He was supposed to have been removed from the list as of Thursday, Dec. 23, but was given a 10-day extension, his sister said.
A fellow Arizonan and Army medic at Brooks Army Medical Center was working to get Yazzie access to an ECMO machine when he passed away, the family said.
In a statement, Arviso said that Yazzie passed away on Christmas Eve because his oxygen dropped and his heart went into shock.
When 12 News spoke to Arviso, she was hoping for a miracle. Yazzie had been placed on a waitlist for the ECMO machine, which works as an external lung because availability was scarce across the state.
Arviso said Yazzie survived three deployments and was going to school to be a mechanic. Yazzie just retired from the Army last year.
Remembering the Arizonans we lost to COVID-19
Here’s a look back at a few of the Arizonans we lost to the coronavirus. Subscribe to the 12 News YouTube page for their stories.