Prayer Service Held Outside Local Hospital For Coach, Others Battling COVID-19

Dozens gathered outside a local hospital Thursday night to pray for a high school coach and others fighting for their life with COVID-19. 

Chaiyo Martzall was hospitalized after contracting the virus after Christmas. 

Around 50 people gathered outside Martzall’s hospital room in the parking lot at SSM Health St. Anthony’s in Shawnee for the prayer service. 

Martzall is known in the Chandler community and beyond as a coach and mentor to students. 

Brenda Schroeder, a close friend who graduated high school with Martzall, organized the event. 

“It really helps that helpless feeling you feel, like 'yes, prayer has power,'” said Schroeder. 

Martzall is now on a ventilator. COVID-19 has brought on an array of issues, kidney failure being one of them. 

“He’s made an impact in his community,” said David Burgess, pastor and former teammate. “What more or less could we do than to come out and to make an impact on his behalf in an intercessory prayer for him to be lifted up and restored.” 

No one can attest to that impact more than Broken Arrow senior, Payton Hayes. 

Martzall’s dedication to players is what she admires most. 

“A lot of kids couldn’t come to practice. Well he drove down to Tulsa so he could have practice with kids from Tulsa just by himself,” said Hayes. “I was one of those kids and there were only three kids there. It was just the dedication for us.” 

In a time where so much cannot be controlled, this group is believing in the power of prayer.

Friends and family find comfort that Martzall is in room 12 because that was his jersey number playing football while at Chandler.