STUART— Dan Rice worked one shift on the critical care floor for COVID-19 patients at Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital about two weeks ago and ended up sick and fighting for his life.

"When I saw him, I just burst into tears," his wife, Hope Rice said. "I've never seen anything like that."

Dan Rice, 37, who has lived in Stuart since 2005, woke his wife up at 1:30 a.m. Saturday and told her he wasn't feeling well. Hope Rice said her husband had a temperature of 103 degrees Fahrenheit and was disoriented.

Although it's impossible to tell where the 37-year-old nurse caught the virus, his wife believes it was while he was working a shift surrounded by people sick with COVID-19.

"Even when we got to the ER, I was thinking I wouldn't be surprised if he has the coronavirus, even though he only worked one shift on the COVID-19 floor," she said.

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He was diagnosed that day with COVID-19 at Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital, 2100 S.E. Salerno Road.

Hope Rice said her husband has been intubated since Sunday and is on life support.

Dan Rice was later moved to Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital because the facility was able to provide a treatment that allows him to stay on his stomach to help his breathing.

"He was exhausted; he was not sleeping, not eating, not drinking, so they intubated him and he's been on life support ever since," she said.

While Dan Rice has slowly started to improve, Hope Rice said it'll likely be a while before he's discharged.

Scott Samples, spokesman for Cleveland Clinic hospitals on the Treasure Coast, wrote in an email the hospitals aren’t experiencing any staffing issues because of the pandemic. He didn't address precautions taken by staff working with COVID-19 patients.

He declined comment on Dan Rice's case "due to patient confidentiality concerns."

In 2018, Dan Rice became a registered nurse and began working at Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital.

Prior to that, he worked at the hospital as a radiology transporter for 14 years and was in the Air Force with Hope Rice for four years.

Both Dan and Hope Rice were stationed on a nuclear base in North Dakota during their time with the Air Force.

Hope Rice said her husband was an entry controller and worked with missiles. Hope Rice was deployed twice overseas to Bahrain and Iraq in 2003 and 2004 respectively. The couple met during orientation week when they got to the base in 2002.

Hope Rice said her husband loves being a nurse and is loved by his patients and colleagues.

"My husband is a very dedicated nurse and he loves taking on new nurses and being a mentor to them," Hope Rice said. "One of his ultimate goals is to be a nurse educator."

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The couple's long-time friend Dani Brewer set up a GoFundMe fundraiser Wednesday for the family of four with a goal of $20,000 to help cover Dan Rice's medical bills.

As of Thursday afternoon, there were 360 donations totaling $19,620.

Of the people donating, Hope Rice said one was a former patient's family member that talked about the great care Dan Rice gave the spouse.

"I'm kind of like a 'suffer in silence' kind of person and I was like 'fine, if we get a couple hundred, that'll be cool.' I wasn't expecting it to reach nearly $20,000," she said. "Everyone has been so supportive."

After Dan Rice returns home, his wife said she's sure he'll be out with their two sons fishing and going to the beach.

"He's a terrific dad. My kids can't wait for him to wake up and get better so they can go to the beach and the movies," she said. "He really is an amazing guy."

Sara Marino is a TCPalm breaking news reporter covering Martin County. You can reach Sara on Twitter @saradmarino or email her at Sara.Marino@tcpalm.com. If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest breaking news.