Community Rallies To Support OKC Barber Recovering From COVID-19

People say Tex the Barber would take the shirt off his back for anyone, but that familiar foe COVID-19 nearly took his life.

Tex came down with the virus late last year, tearing him from his community and family and leaving him in the hospital, struggling to breathe.

"They have put him on a ventilator. That he has now been in the hospital for 24 days," said Rouce. "When they took him off, he has had some deficits. He has lost some things. And we are like: how? why? what is going on?"

Tex is slowly recovering, struggling to speak or even tie his shoes.

Right now, he's in rehab for extensive therapy to get his body working again.

He is a pillar of Oklahoma City from his signature looks to his charity haircuts for hope to benefit the homeless of OKC.

Now, his community is giving back, offering what they can to get Tex through this impossible time, even if it's just a kind word.

"I just, I have been overwhelmed by the people who have reached out to me," said Rouce.

"It is hard to see him down right now, and anything we can do to try to lift the family up in spirit and good health, we are here for it," said Harold Fields, Platinum Edge barbershop and beauty salon owner.

They've put together a GoFundMe to help with expenses already raising thousands, but Tex, true to form, wants to pay that forward.

"He was like, 'we need people to adopt a hospital, adopt floors, adopt wings, adopt nurses.' He wants people to send things up there for the cleaning staff and the kitchen crew," said Rouce.