- [Reporter] July,2020, the McCrary family

were making greatmemories on their vacation

in the Florida Keys.

But soon those memorieswould take a terrible turn.

- On July the 4th, Saturday morning,

I knew something hitme early that morning.

I was nauseated.

It hit me in the stomach

and it was like turning a light switch on.

- [Reporter] 71-year-old RickMcCrary, husband, father,

and grandfather had contracted COVID-19.

Within a week of coming home,Kay his wife of 52 years

was dropping him off at theBaylor Hospital emergency room

in Dallas, Texas.

- And I tried to be strong,

but I didn't really know ifI would ever see him again.

- We held hands, we hugged,and we said our goodbyes,

and I'll never forget the feeling

of leaving my sweetheartin the parking lot.

- [Reporter] By then, Rick had developed

double pneumonia and sepsis.

To make matters worse,Rick was pre-diabetic,

had a pacemaker and hadgone through numerous

heart surgeries and prostate cancer.

His odds of surviving were very slim.

Meanwhile, Kay and their daughter Kristie

had also tested positive for COVID.

Although neither were hospitalized,

their symptoms were brutal.

- The aches and the painswere literally unbearable.

And I didn't think I could stand it.

- [Reporter] Despite her pain,

Kay still managed to pray for Rick.

- I remember saying thescripture Rick will live not die,

and declare the glory of the Lord.

I mean screaming it.

- [Reporter] Kristie also reached out

to a handful of friends to pray.

- All I could do was lift my head up

and try to make text messages

that were bullet pointed prayer request.

I was so sick that's all I could handle.

Next thing I know, a day or two's gone by

and hundreds of people across the country

are getting these prayer texts.

- [Reporter] Still in theER, Rick was declining.

His oxygen levels plummetedand the sepsis was spreading.

Doctors put him on oxygenand strong medications,

and they worked at first.

- I had stabilized those first two days

and then I had a crash.

My body rejected the medicines.

My temperature went up, my breathing,

they came to where I couldn't breathe.

- [Reporter] Doctors moved Rick to the ICU

and managed to get him stabilized again.

That night Rick said hehad a terrifying encounter.

- [Rick] I could seepitch dark, black skies.

And then I would see whatlooked like lightning,

but it lit up the whole sky.

And in the background, when it was lit up

I could see a skeleton,

and it was the death angelthat had come for me.

- [Reporter] At exactly 3:18 that morning,

a woman who had been praying for Rick

said she heard from God.

- God said, "Wake up now,Rick is in trouble, go pray."

- [Reporter] She wasn't the only one.

- Another lady that's not connected,

had woken up at 3:18 in the morning.

God said, "Go get in your prayer chair.

Someone can't breathe."

- [Rick] And then I could seepeople pointing their fingers,

shaking their fist, violently praying

that you're not gonna take this life,

that Rick is gonna liveand Rick is not gonna die.

- [Reporter] Rick woke up thatmorning, determined to fight.

- I said, "The devil,you're not gonna win.

You do not have my number."

- [Reporter] In the coming week,

Rick's lungs began to clear,

but now his sugar levels were spiking

and he was still fighting sepsis,

causing his white blood cell counts

to rise to dangerously high levels.

Weak and isolated with onlybrief visits from nurses,

Rick's only contact withfamily was through FaceTime.

- And I thought, what am I gonna do?

My rock is leaving right before my eyes.

- {Reporter] Meanwhile, Kayat home under a nurse's care

had become so ill she couldn'teven pray for her husband.

- And I thought, am Igonna lose my father,

and now I'm gonna lose my mother?

- [Reporter] But through prayer, Kristie

and others around thecountry continued to fight.

Gradually, all three of them improved.

On day 12 of Rick's hospital stay,

a doctor came into his room.

Rick was being released.

- It was a joyous day.

It was a fun day.

They brought me home ina COVID-approved vehicle.

- He walked through the door,

we embraced and cried and cried.

- Many days we thought wewould never be able to touch

or feel or hold each other again.

And to experience that was just something

that it's hard to describe.

- It was glorious becauseit was life again.

God had defeated death.

- [Reporter] After a couple of months,

they had regained their health.

Today, they're thankful that the Lord

has given them more timeto make many more memories.

- [Kay] My friends arein awe, we're all in awe,

'cause we've seen remarkable things today.

Jesus has given us hope.

He's saying yesterday, today and forever.

- [Rick] Without prayer warriors

that were stronger than I was,

I would have never livedthrough my experience.

And I thank God that he'sbrought up friends of the family

that know how to pray.

(relaxing music)