Danny Reeves: Anti-vaxxer Texas pastor pushes for jabs after Covid 'ravaged' health
As the Delta variant is ripping through the US, many people are learning the hard way that vaccines are indeed necessary. Some, like prominent anti-vaxxer Caleb Wallace lost their lives, while others like Danny Reeves have thankfully survived. Reeves, a pastor in Texas, is now urging everyone to get vaccinated after his "harrowing" experience that involved a stint in the ICU. It's something he doesn't want anyone else to undergo.
Reeves is one of the few lucky people to survive hospitalization from Covid-19, a luxury that many Americans haven't had. Thousands of families have been ripped apart as anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers have led to a surge in deaths over the past few months. On August 24, we reported on the death of pregnant Alabama nurse Haley Richardson, who refused to get vaxxed. Other prominent anti-vaxxers who have succumbed to Covid-19 include radio host Phil Valentine and Georgia police officer Joe Manning.
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Their stories serve as a strong reminder that vaccines and masks are critical in the battle against Covid-19 and that all these deaths could have been avoided. That's the tune that Reeves is now preaching, after his own experience with the disease he once believed "wouldn't be a big deal". Reeves' story is critical for the state of Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott has taken a strong stance against vaccines and masks, helping the virus run free all over the state.
Who is Danny Reeves?
Growing up in Monahans, Texas, Reeves graduated high school in 1990. He then reportedly went on to receive his BA in Religious Education at Howard Payne University in 1994. Reeves followed this with a Master's and a Doctoral degree from George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. He now serves as a senior pastor at the First Baptist Church in Corsicana. Reeves has been with the church since 2011 and was ordained by the Southside Baptist Church.
A 2017 report indicates Reeves was nominated for a second time as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, a role he held between 2016 and 2018. He has also served at Churches in Edna, McGregor, Mart, Big Lake, and Blanket. A LinkedIn profile that appears to be in his name also says Reeves currently serves as a Senior Consultant at State Funeral for World War II Veterans.
Little else is known about Reeves, apart from the fact he is married and has three children. He recorded his experience with Covid-19 on Twitter and recently gave an interview to further highlight his experience. "I didn't mean to be cavalier. I didn't mean to be overconfident," he told Fox News. He added, "I've been taught a lesson, and I'm big enough and humble enough to say I was wrong."
Reeves' experience with Covid-19
The pastor was admitted to Baylor Medical Centre in Dallas on July 16, tweeting, "Will be admitted. Can't breathe with Covid." Since then, he has been tweeting updates nearly daily, indicating how he struggled and was nearly close to death. "Just took unexpected turn for worse. Oxygen levels in blood depleting. Put me on high flow oxygen & headed to ICU," he tweeted on July 19. In an interview with Baptist Press, Reeves said, "I cried a lot in the hospital. I fought for my life those first three nights in the ICU."
Thankfully for him, Reeves managed to pull through. On July 22 he tweeted, "Covid pneumonia is no joke. I inadvertently underestimated it. Pls don't do the same. My healthy body has been ravaged." He followed that up on July 27 with a tweet saying, "Pls go get the vaccine! Pls recognize that U can use your freedom to get vaxed. There's no freedom on a vent!" That came after he was discharged from the hospital.
8) That being said, Covid pneumonia is no joke. I inadvertently underestimated it. Pls don't do the same. My healthy body has been ravaged.
— Danny Reeves (@DannyReeves33) July 22, 2021
"I just didn’t think it would happen to me, and therefore I thought I was healthy enough to deal with it if I might get it," he told the Baptist Press. Reeves added, "I learned the hard way that this is not how this disease works. I think I was just overconfident. I wish I would have gotten the vaccine, and I believe my case would have been severely diminished if I had done so. I don’t want people to go through the horror that I faced." Apart from encouraging others to get their shot, Reeves said he plans to get vaxxed as soon as the doctor clears him.
"My plea is don’t get your information from mainstream media, but go to a trusted physician and let them talk to you about it," he added. Reeves also admitted, "if my survival and my story can be a blessing to others, I pray it is." 54 days after experiencing symptoms, Reeves has finally returned to preach his first sermon. While he is lucky to have survived, thousands of others haven't. As of August 28, Texas recorded 10,568 new cases and 222 additional deaths. Over 95,000 remain in hospital, most of which are unvaccinated people.