Coachella Valley nursing student battling COVID-19 needs lung transplant, mom says

A Coachella Valley nursing student is fighting for her life after contracting COVID-19 in early August.

Fitri Sho said her 24-year-old daughter, Hanny Virginia, is in an induced coma at JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio. 

Hanny’s mother said her daughter had recently been taking frequent trips to Texas, where she’s been working on getting her master's in nursing. She believes her daughter got sick during one of her visits to the state, which has been experiencing an increase in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Most of the state's cases involve individuals who are unvaccinated. Fitri Sho said her daughter was also among the unvaccinated.

She said she had urged Hanny to get vaccinated, but explained her daughter was afraid of getting sick from the vaccine and would get her first dose after summer school was over.

She added Hanny would "always get sick" when she received her flu shot.

Fitri Sho is now urging anyone who has not been vaccinated to do so "before it's too late."

Once Hanny became infected with COVID-19, her health deteriorated within a couple of days. Her symptoms were worsened by her Type 1 Diabetes.  

Her mother said Hanny always wanted to become a nurse to help others, but now her family and friends are pleading with the community to step up for her.

Hanny's longtime neighbor, Jessica Fuentes, recounted Hanny's deep ties to the community of Indio and surrounding communities.

The aspiring nurse attended John Glenn Middle School as well as California State University San Bernardino.

Hanny's longtime neighbor, Jessica Fuentes, said she started a GoFundMe page after Hanny's insurance denied her claim.

Fuentes said she's confident they can raise enough funds to pay for Hanny's lung transplant, but they "just need a little bit of help."

Fitri Sho cited the thousands of dollars lung transplant surgery typically costs and said she and her family can't afford it, adding "it’s a lot of money.”

Hanny is now on a waiting list at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles for her emergency lung transplant. 

Her mother said she’s anxious to get her daughter the care she desperately needs to get her back home. 

Doctors overseeing Hanny’s treatment told her mother that they’re still working on it.  

Meanwhile, family and loved ones close to Hanny are staying hopeful and believe her chance for survival is good.

Her childhood friend and neighbor, Nadia Fuentes, said while "it’s incredibly sad to see her at such a young age going through this very difficult illness to overcome" she is confident Hanny will "make it to her 25th birthday,” which is in a little more than two months.

A GoFundMe has been set-up to raise money for Hanny to get a lung transplant

Stay with News Channel 3 for developments on this story.