Video courtesy of Lawrence + Memorial Hospital
MYSTIC, Conn. (WTNH) — Mystic first-responders and community members saluted a local doctor on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic with a boisterous parade in downtown Mystic Saturday.
Oliver Mayorga, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer for Lawrence and Memorial Hospital and Westerly Hospital, both part of Yale New Haven Health. L+M reports, Dr. Mayorga leads the medial teams at these hospitals “that are caring for an increasing number of area residents suffering from COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.”
According to L+M, the parade was a surprise for Dr.Mayorga. His wife and kids helped hatch the plan by making sure he was home at noon when the parade was set to begin.
Then, fire trucks, ambulances, and family vans with kids waving from the sunroofs came blaring down his residential street. Sirens were wailing, lights were flashing, and horns were honking.
All this to salute and thank Dr. Mayorga and his family for their dedication and sacrifices amid the pandemic.
Anthony P. Mansfredi, Jr., Deputy Chief and Deputy Fire Marshal for the Mystic Fire Department praised Dr.Mayorga saying, he’s “been supporting the public and emergency services for a long time, and we just wanted to give him a little honor and show him a little respect.
Mansfredi Jr. added, “with this virus, he’s working a lot of hours and his family is going through a lot, too, and we wanted to throw some support back to him and his whole family.”
L+M reports the Mayorga family gathered in their front yard after the parade to accept the thanks of everyone clapping and waving from a safe 6 feet distance.
“Dr. Mayorga also repeatedly offered his own thanks to the many first responders he saw,” L+M said, “thanking them for their own heroic work, each day, on the front lines, responding to every call, and caring for every patient.”
On Wednesday, first responders drove by the L+M hospital to say thank you to all the staff working hard during the pandemic.
The President and CEO of the hospital said of the gesture, “They’ve been supporting our staff throughout this pandemic…it’s pretty nice to have everyone come together to recognize our heroes who take care of patients every single day.”
