TAMPA, Fla. — A Hillsborough County sheriff's detective remains hospitalized after suffering a 2nd heart attack.
His daughter was born prematurely and remains in a NICU at a different hospital.
Robert Wright is a homicide detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. He's worked at the sheriff's office for the past 12 years.
On Dec. 7, Wright suffered a heart attack. Doctors gave him a stent and he was released several days later. He had a second heart attack in February.
"He was on light duty after the first one. He was going to go back to regular duty so you have to do an exam to do that. He did the exam. He passed. He texted me he passed. I didn't hear from him after that and I found out he was driving and started having chest pains," said Heather Wright, Robert's wife.
Robert remains hospitalized at Tampa General Hospital. He's using an Impella heart pump to help maintain blood flow and allow his heart to rest.
Heather said doctors are still running tests, but believe Robert may have a genetic condition.
"His transplant doctor thinks it's maybe some sort of genetic condition where his body just builds plaque quicker than other people. We're not exactly sure, they're still doing a lot of testing," she said.
Heather said her husband may need a heart transplant or a pacemaker.
Their daughter, Raelynn, was born prematurely weighing one pound, 11 ounces. She remains in a NICU at a different hospital than her father.
"She was born on Valentine's Day so it's like the day of love so I think through all this, it shows how strong our love is and how we're going to get through this as a family," said Heather.
Heather said she had a high-risk pregnancy and hopes their daughter can come home by the end of April.
A GoFundMe page has raised more than $14,000 dollars for the family.
Heather said her husband receives workers' compensation from the sheriff's office, but the donations will help support their daughter.
She said her husband will remain hospitalized for the next 4 to 6 weeks. She hopes to have more answers soon.
"The hope is he could get off this machine that he's on and his heart can repair on its own. Obviously, he's going to have to take medicine," she said.
"Cherish your family, love your family, you never know what can happen at any moment," she said.
For more information on how to help the Wright family visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/g82sg-help-the-wright-family?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer
