KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — Knox County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Dalton Swanger is searching for a hospital to perform lifesaving surgery in his continuing recovery from the head injury he received in June, said his girlfriend, Stephania Pumphrey, Saturday night.

Swanger's trachea is narrowing, a condition that "can turn fatal very quickly," she said. She explained that, after realizing something was wrong, they went to the emergency room in late August and learned that his trachea was only 8 millimeters wide when it should have been 16-18 millimeters. This may have been caused by Swanger being forcibly intubated while seizing or from fighting the breathing tube while sedated, she said.

Medical professionals attempted three surgeries trying to fix this, but it continued closing to under 6

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