Colleagues of Muskogee County Emergency Medical Service Chaplain/Paramedic Raymond (Ed) Cash didn't see Cash's reaction when they drove by his hospital window Tuesday afternoon.
But that didn't stop them from honking and waving their good wishes and prayers during a drive-by greeting.
"We won't be able to see him, but he'll be able to see us out the window," Muskogee County EMS spokeswoman Trish German said.
Cash tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, German said. He is in the Intensive Care Unit at Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee. German said fellow EMS employees organized the drive-by Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
Several ambulances, a Muskogee fire truck, several Muskogee Police Department cruisers and friends' vehicles joined the procession past Cash's window. Representatives of The Barracks veterans program also were invited.
Cash said the parade was wonderful.
"It lifted my spirits," he said through his wife's cell phone. "It made me feel my EMS family is the best."
Cash's wife, Donna Cash, stood outside his window, occasionally peering inside to gauge his reaction. The two communicated via cell phone. She said that watching the procession was "awesome, amazing."
"It's very touching," Donna said. "Very sweet, very encouraging."
She said her husband's health is "on hold."
"We're not bad and we're not good, but we're staying in the same spot, which is better than losing," she said.
When she asked her husband his thoughts, he said the parade was "wonderful."
Other friends and family members gathered on the grass outside Cash's window to view the parade.
German said Raymond Cash has been with EMS for 17 years and served with the U.S. Army for six years before that.
"Ed has dedicated a lot of his life to Muskogee County EMS," German said. "He is a good person. He's always there to help anybody who needs help. He's always one person we reach out to if we need some guidance, or we need that help. He's one of my favorite people."
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