A New York City emergency room physician committed suicide on Sunday, days after recounting to family members a series how traumatic it was to continuously watch coronavirus patients die, reports The New York Times.
“She tried to do her job and it killed her,” said Dr. Philip C. Breen, the father of Dr. Lorna M. Breen, the medical director of the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital.
In the days leading up to her death, the 48-year-old reportedly recounted a series of traumatic scenes she had witnessed working in the hospital, including patients dying in front of her before they could even be removed from ambulances.
“She was truly in the trenches of the front line,” he said.
He added: “Make sure she’s praised as a hero, because she was. She’s a casualty just as much as anyone else who has died.”
Lorna Breen had recently contracted the coronavirus but returned to work after a week-and-a-half off. After the hospital sent her home, she relocated to Charlottesville, Va., to recuperate at her father’s home.
In a statement, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia called Breen a hero “who brought the highest ideals of medicine to the challenging front lines of the emergency department.
“Our focus today is to provide support to her family, friends and colleagues as they cope with this news during what is already an extraordinarily difficult time,” the hospital added.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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