01/20/2026
๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ-๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ
On a brisk Friday afternoon in January, Orra David โODโ Cope entered the Medical-Surgical North hallway at Cox Monett for a moment that he and those around him would cherish forever.
After three weeks in the hospital, fighting an illness that left him uncertain about his survival, OD was finishing his last physical therapy session. As he stepped out, the hallway erupted in applause. Staff, family, and caregivers filled the corridor, some in tears; many were overwhelmed with emotion, celebrating a milestone that once seemed unattainable.
โI just canโt believe it,โ OD expressed, tears forming in his eyes. โThis is the most amazing hospital I have ever been in.โ
OD doesnโt recall much from the initial days of his hospitalization. He was so unwell that he frequently questioned whether he would live or die.
โThen, all of a sudden, it felt like a light switched on, and I was able to get out of bed,โ he remembered. โI tried, but my body wasnโt quite prepared, and I suppose I didnโt realize how weak I had become.โ
As he surveyed the loved ones who had gathered to support him, some having traveled great distances for this moment, ODโs voice quivered with appreciation.
โI canโt believe my loved ones are here, and some even traveled many miles to see me for this occasion. I just canโt believe it. I canโt thank everyone enough for what you have done for me.โ
At the end of the hall, OD paused to shake hands with Albert from Environmental Services and William Mahoney, senior vice president of the CoxHealth Community Hospital Group, thanking them for care that was not only exceptional but deeply personal, care that meant more than words could express.
For OD, this represented a pivotal moment, a time when perseverance, compassion, and dedicated care converged to turn the impossible into reality. For all who stood in that hallway and cheered for him, it served as a powerful reminder of what rural health care can signify when it is driven by skill, heart, and human connection.
