Dallas Officer Suffers Brain Hemorrhage While Training For Charity Event

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A Dallas police officer is fighting for his life after suffering a brain hemorrhage while training for a charity event.

Joey Arvizu, a five-year veteran of the force, was rushed to Baylor Medical Center where he is being treated.

His wife, Cathy, doesn't know what the future holds for her husband and his health. She's been by his side at the hospital since he arrived there Wednesday.

"Joey was taken to the operating room. We waited till forever till we found out the surgery went well. That was the big hurdle -- would he even survive?" said Cathy Arvizu.

Joey once served in the Marines and is a current Dallas police officer. He was training at a boxing gym for an upcoming charity event called "Guns and Hoses."

"It's a boxing event. It raises funds for the Assist the Officer Foundation," said Cathy. That foundation is aimed to support the families of injured officers.

She said he was sparring when he suddenly lost vision after taking several hits to the head.

"The doctor told me he suffered severe trauma to the right side of his head and he had hemorrhaging and excessive bleeding," said Cathy.

Cathy said he has short-term memory loss but was able to whisper questions. "'What happened? Where am I? When can I go? What's going on?'" she said.

Joey is currently in the Intensive Care Unit, worrying about what's next.

"He's so early in his career. He's not going to leave it. He loves being a police officer... it's hard. He's five years in. I don't know what the future's going to hold," said Cathy.

As an officer's wife, Cathy's aware of the dangers of his job. She said the hardest part is knowing he nearly lost his life at the gym -- doing what he loved.

She said her husband has another surgery ahead and plenty of physical therapy. It's too soon to know how long he'll be in the hospital, or if he'll be able to return to the job.

A GoFundMe was also set up to help the Arvizu family.