Parking employee pays for stranger's medication

Guest Services Parking Lead Ricky McKinney was at the window of the CRMH pharmacy Friday morning to pick up his medicine. As he waited for his prescription, Ricky heard a young man ask a cashier, "How long can ya'll hold it?"

The young man, who had come to pick up his mother's medication, was $73 short. The young man explained that his mother had made sure the previous day that her insurance paperwork was in order and would cover the medicine. So she sent him to the hospital Friday morning to get it. The insurance covered all but $73. The young man told the cashier he was unemployed, but if they would hold the prescription, he would try to go borrow the money so his mother would have her medicine.

That's when Ricky dug into his pocket, pulled out cash and told the young man, "I'm going to pay for it." Then he added, "God bless you for taking care of your mother."

Janelle Marshall, the pharmacy cashier who rang up the young man's bill, later recounted the incident. "The money just came out of nowhere," she said. "I had goosebumps I was so moved...Who randomly hands over $80 for someone else's bill?"

The answer is the kind of Carilion employee who said his mother and father raised him and his siblings to help others. At the same time, Ricky said, people stepped up if his family needed help when he was growing up. Ricky joined Carilion's parking team six years ago. He is known for going the extra mile in his job. Guest Services manager Frank Bryant said Ricky "always goes above and beyond. He told me when he found out the medicine was for that young man's mama, he was not going to let him leave without it."

The young man tried to get Ricky's information, so he could repay him later. Ricky wouldn't hear of it. "Faith always leads you to where you're supposed to be," he said. "I know I'll get it back."