Business Insider has reached out to the friends and family of the doctors, nurses, and support staff who contracted and died from the disease while trying to save others.
Wilkes was lauded by colleagues for her "commitment to family" and her "desire to live life to the fullest."A graduate of West Georgia Technical College, Wilkes received her Associate Degree in Radiology Technology,"Deidre was my work daughter, whom I loved dearly. She brought me such joy in watching her professional commitment, her love of God, her commitment to family, her desire to live life to its fullest," Cat Thompson wrote of her colleague.
Maternal mortality rates in Missouri are among the worst in the nation, especially for black women. "I remember her making comments to me of how impactful that was," Kuensting wrote. "Being a black nurse herself and overcoming adversities and implicit biases throughout her career, she could relate. She was driven to change the maternal and infant mortality for African-American women in the St. Louis area."
That's why it didn't surprise Sherron to learn that her brother had gone without protective equipment at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City so others didn't have to. Medical workers at Mt. Sinai complained of a lack of PPE and"Of course he shouldn't have been in that position, but I know he would," Sherron said. "That's the kind of person he was."
Sherron said that in the days since her brother's death, she has been hearing about the small acts of kindness he carried out on the job. At the time of his death, he and his husband Arnold Vargas had been planning to have children, Gabrin's best friend Debra Vasalech told BI. Gabrin, who started his career in emergency medicine as a Navy doctor, had survived cancer twice, his best friend said.
Nurse Araceli Buendia Ilagan, 63, died on March 27. She worked in the surgical ICU at Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida. "She's very thoughtful to her family," her niece, Jhoanna Mariel Buendia told BI. "We cannot accept that nobody was there to help her when she was suffering. We feel very helpless, we didn't get the chance to speak to her during her most difficult times."
Having no children of her own, Ilagan shared a special bond with Buendia, according to the young nurse. Born January 15, 1963, at Oklahoma's Norman Air Force Base, Hickok was a third-generation service member who served as a captain in the National Guard Medical Unit in Seagirt, New Jersey. He graduated from US International University in California with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy, and then went on to Cornell Medical School in New York City, where he attained a physician assistant medical degree.
"He served people. He served family, country, and faith," Scott-Peavler said. "That sums up my brother." A few weeks before his passing, Hickok and his daughter went on a spontaneous trip to the Sandy Hook Proving Ground in New Jersey, where Shandrea said her father excitedly took in the old canons, beautiful scenery, and wildlife on the grounds.
According to Kwame Ocran, one of her three sons, Ocran was worried about the lack of testing being conducted at her facility. Tomas Pattugalan, 70, an internal medicine doctor with over 40 years of experience, passed away from COVID-19 in the early hours of March 29 at Nassau University Hospital.Tomas Pattugalan, 70, an internal medicine doctor with over 40 years of experience, passed away from COVID-19 the morning of March 29 at Nassau University Hospital.
"My father loved to show love through food," Gino said. "The question he would always ask was, 'Did you eat?' It's one of those questions that comes from growing up in a third world country where you might go hungry. He always wanted to take care of us, to make sure we were healthy and provided for."
She asked him to promise her that he would live to see her graduate from middle school, get married, and live the rest of her life.Jeannie Danker, 60, died on March 29 from coronavirus. She was the head of radiology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Jeannie Danker spent more than 30 years at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. According to an internal letter to staff, colleagues nicknamed her "Ms. Radiology.
The angels on the front line are appreciated my hope is that you are not forgotten about in this dark time because you have done such a selfless act i know god will see you home🙏