WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — A Fayette County man says a Fayette County EMS District paramedic’s compassion after a fatal car crash, and another provider’s use of Narcan during an overdose more than a decade later, helped set him on a path to recovery he now shares with others as part of the district’s 50th anniversary observance.
UPDATE (July 21, 2026, 12:13 p.m.): This story has been updated with additional information from the Fayette County EMS District.
Cody Bowen said in a message shared by the district on its Facebook page that he was involved in a car crash roughly 20 years ago in which his best friend died. Bowen said EMT Philip Funk responded to the crash and showed him compassion he has never forgotten.
“He wasn’t just doing his job — he was present, supportive, and genuinely cared for me during one of the darkest moments of my life,” Bowen said in the post. “That kindness has stayed with me all these years.”
Years later, Bowen said, he began struggling with addiction. During what he described as his last overdose, another Fayette County EMS provider responded and administered Narcan, the opioid-overdose reversal medication, reviving him. Bowen said he has been clean since Aug. 25, 2017, and now works as a program manager for a recovery program, helping other men and women find what he called “freedom from addiction.”
“The work you do matters more than you’ll ever know,” Bowen wrote in his message to the district’s crews. “Sometimes your greatest impact isn’t just saving a life in the moment — it’s giving someone the opportunity to discover the life they were created to live.”
The district shared Bowen’s account as part of its ongoing 50th anniversary observance, for which it has asked residents to submit stories of times its crews helped them, a family member or a neighbor. As previously reported, the district’s crews are also maintaining a presence throughout this week’s Fayette County Fair, marking 50 consecutive years the squad has had a booth at the fairgrounds, and the agency has been sharing pieces of its history on Facebook, including a 1979 newspaper clipping describing a community donation drive that outfitted its ambulances with early anti-shock trousers.
The district has provided emergency medical care across Fayette County since 1976, according to the agency. It is based in Washington Court House, the county seat, and is led by EMS Director Rodney List.
Residents with a story to share can reach the district through its Facebook page or by email at [email protected].
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Fayette County EMS District.
