ORANGE COUNTY, Texas — The halls of the Orange County Sheriff's Office were filled with sounds of cheers and applause on Monday as they welcomed back a beloved member of their family.
Detective Dru Crochet returned to work after a battle with COVID-19 that lasted more than a year. The champion’s battle was a hard one, and it nearly cost him his life.
Detective Crochet is a Marine Corps veteran who has been a part of the police force for 20 years. His recovery was described as, “nothing short of a miracle,” by department members.
"We prayed for Dru and did a lot of stuff for him,” Sheriff Jimmy Lane Mooney said. “Threw a couple of parades and just kept him out there in our thoughts and prayers and for him to be back. He came back. We are just really excited.”
Crochet said the amount of support he received for himself and his family was overwhelming.
In March of 2021, Crochet was brought to the emergency room with a collapsed lung. He was put in a medically induced coma for four months.
“He was on death's doorstop,” Mooney said. “The good Lord had his hand on him.”
During Crochet's stay in the hospital, he received blood transfusions and was added to the lung transplant waitlist. He had to endure physical therapy and re-learn how to walk.
Crochet said the support he got from the community was life-changing.
“That's when people from around the world, and the United States began sending blood to this area in my name and donating it in my name just so that I could survive,” Crochet said. “I have got the communities blood running through my veins right now, and the community needs to know I exist because of you.”
The support came from his fellow deputies who helped celebrate his son’s birthday with a parade and from his own wife in a major way.
“My family did amazing things while I was sick,” Crochet said. “Of course, most of the severity of my sickness was kept from my children but they knew. During that time, my wife did things I never knew she was capable of. She is my rock.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is no stranger to deputies contracting COVID-19. Deputy Scott Barnes recently returned after his battle with COVID-19.
The sheriff's office lost John Badeaux in 2022. Mooney said it has been a tough time around the office.
“We lost him, and then Dru got sick, and Scott Barnes got sick," Mooney said. "Anyway, it was just a tough time around here."
Crochet said he is blessed to be back and owes his recovery to the lord.
"God is real and Jesus Christ saved my life," Crochet said.
Detective Crochet said he is thankful for all the support, is continuing his recovery efforts and is excited that he can go back to work.