This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/26/us-healthcare-workers-died-coronavirus-food-services-nurses
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| An accomplished food services coordinator, a joyful pediatric nurse | |
| (5 days later) | |
| We are documenting the lives of every US medical worker who dies helping patients during the pandemic. These are some of the first tragic cases | We are documenting the lives of every US medical worker who dies helping patients during the pandemic. These are some of the first tragic cases |
| Lost on the frontline is a collaboration between the Guardian and Kaiser Health News that aims to document the lives of healthcare workers in the US who die from Covid-19, and to understand why so many are falling victim to the pandemic. | Lost on the frontline is a collaboration between the Guardian and Kaiser Health News that aims to document the lives of healthcare workers in the US who die from Covid-19, and to understand why so many are falling victim to the pandemic. |
| Each week, we’re documenting new cases of healthcare workers who have died on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Here are their stories: | Each week, we’re documenting new cases of healthcare workers who have died on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Here are their stories: |
| Dorothy Boles, 65A nurse and pastor who tended to bodies and souls | Dorothy Boles, 65A nurse and pastor who tended to bodies and souls |
| Occupation: Licensed practical nursePlace of work: Greenwood Leflore hospital in Greenwood, MississippiDate of death: 3 April 2020 | Occupation: Licensed practical nursePlace of work: Greenwood Leflore hospital in Greenwood, MississippiDate of death: 3 April 2020 |
| Dorothy Boles had two callings: one as a healer and the other as an ordained minister. | Dorothy Boles had two callings: one as a healer and the other as an ordained minister. |
| Mama Boles, as she was known, was a counselor and caretaker, said longtime friend and colleague Glory Boyd. | Mama Boles, as she was known, was a counselor and caretaker, said longtime friend and colleague Glory Boyd. |
| She mentored aspiring ministers at First Chosen Tabernacle church and welcomed recovering patients into her home. | She mentored aspiring ministers at First Chosen Tabernacle church and welcomed recovering patients into her home. |
| “She went over, above and beyond,” said Boyd, the hospital’s chief nursing officer. “She cared for other people before she cared for herself.” | “She went over, above and beyond,” said Boyd, the hospital’s chief nursing officer. “She cared for other people before she cared for herself.” |
| When patients leaving the hospital didn’t have the means to recover on their own, Boles opened her home to them, her son, Marcus Banks, told a local paper. Most stayed a few days. One young man stayed five years. | When patients leaving the hospital didn’t have the means to recover on their own, Boles opened her home to them, her son, Marcus Banks, told a local paper. Most stayed a few days. One young man stayed five years. |
| “Once she nursed him back to health, he just hung around,” Banks told the newspaper. “She just felt that nobody could take care of him like she could.” | “Once she nursed him back to health, he just hung around,” Banks told the newspaper. “She just felt that nobody could take care of him like she could.” |
| Boles was admitted 22 March to the hospital where she had worked for 42 years. She was among the first four people to die of Covid-19 in Leflore county. | Boles was admitted 22 March to the hospital where she had worked for 42 years. She was among the first four people to die of Covid-19 in Leflore county. |
| The hospital renamed the nurses’ station in her memory. | The hospital renamed the nurses’ station in her memory. |
| – Michaela Gibson Morris | – Michaela Gibson Morris |
| Jeremy Emerich, 40Passionate EMT and volunteer firefighter ‘loved a challenge’ | Jeremy Emerich, 40Passionate EMT and volunteer firefighter ‘loved a challenge’ |
| Occupation: Emergency medical technicianPlace of work: Lehigh Valley Health Network MedEvac in Center Valley, PennsylvaniaDate of death: 21 May 2020 | Occupation: Emergency medical technicianPlace of work: Lehigh Valley Health Network MedEvac in Center Valley, PennsylvaniaDate of death: 21 May 2020 |
| Jeremy Emerich and his girlfriend, Shana Konek, made a pact: home is home. Work is work. | Jeremy Emerich and his girlfriend, Shana Konek, made a pact: home is home. Work is work. |
| They set aside time to do things they loved, like watching The Big Bang Theory or walking their two beagle-mix puppies. “Unless we scheduled it in, it wasn’t happening,” Konek said. | They set aside time to do things they loved, like watching The Big Bang Theory or walking their two beagle-mix puppies. “Unless we scheduled it in, it wasn’t happening,” Konek said. |
| An army veteran who served in Iraq, Emerich “was passionate and loved a challenge”, Konek said. When he wasn’t taking emergency shifts, he volunteered for the Exeter township fire department. “He was constantly on call, always lending a helping hand,” said Konek, an emergency medical services dispatcher. | An army veteran who served in Iraq, Emerich “was passionate and loved a challenge”, Konek said. When he wasn’t taking emergency shifts, he volunteered for the Exeter township fire department. “He was constantly on call, always lending a helping hand,” said Konek, an emergency medical services dispatcher. |
| If families of patients were in shock, he’d comfort them – sometimes in Spanish, to his colleagues’ surprise. Emerich worked long shifts caring for Covid-19 patients across the Lehigh Valley, for which he was equipped with personal protective gear, Konek said. His employer could not be reached for comment. | If families of patients were in shock, he’d comfort them – sometimes in Spanish, to his colleagues’ surprise. Emerich worked long shifts caring for Covid-19 patients across the Lehigh Valley, for which he was equipped with personal protective gear, Konek said. His employer could not be reached for comment. |
| On 25 April, Emerich’s appetite began to wane and he complained of “a little fever”. Konek took his temperature: 104F. A week later, he was in the ICU. | On 25 April, Emerich’s appetite began to wane and he complained of “a little fever”. Konek took his temperature: 104F. A week later, he was in the ICU. |
| On 8 May, Emerich told Konek he was signing some paperwork and would call her back. | On 8 May, Emerich told Konek he was signing some paperwork and would call her back. |
| “I never got that call,” Konek said. | “I never got that call,” Konek said. |
| – Eli Cahan | – Eli Cahan |
| Paul Odighizuwa, 61He bridged cultures with cooking and camaraderie | Paul Odighizuwa, 61He bridged cultures with cooking and camaraderie |
| Occupation: Food services coordinatorPlace of work: Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland, OregonDate of death: 12 May 2020 | Occupation: Food services coordinatorPlace of work: Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland, OregonDate of death: 12 May 2020 |
| When Paul Odighizuwa left his native Nigeria in 1987, he enrolled at Portland State University to study visual arts and began a decades-long career at OHSU, a large teaching hospital. He became a pillar of the area’s close-knit Nigerian community. | When Paul Odighizuwa left his native Nigeria in 1987, he enrolled at Portland State University to study visual arts and began a decades-long career at OHSU, a large teaching hospital. He became a pillar of the area’s close-knit Nigerian community. |
| “Paul was such a go-to guy,” said Ezekiel Ette, a friend. “If you needed something done, Paul would do it, and do it graciously.” | “Paul was such a go-to guy,” said Ezekiel Ette, a friend. “If you needed something done, Paul would do it, and do it graciously.” |
| As a student, he helped paint a prominent mural depicting African and African American heroes – it stood for decades in Portland’s King neighborhood. | As a student, he helped paint a prominent mural depicting African and African American heroes – it stood for decades in Portland’s King neighborhood. |
| Odighizuwa, who worked in the hospital’s food services department, cooked traditional Nigerian dishes at home, as well as American-style pancakes with “crispy edges”, his daughter, Diana, said. | Odighizuwa, who worked in the hospital’s food services department, cooked traditional Nigerian dishes at home, as well as American-style pancakes with “crispy edges”, his daughter, Diana, said. |
| In mid-March, his union complained that management in Odighizuwa’s department was not allowing proper social distancing. Eleven people in the department became ill, and Odighizuwa died. | In mid-March, his union complained that management in Odighizuwa’s department was not allowing proper social distancing. Eleven people in the department became ill, and Odighizuwa died. |
| OHSU did not respond to a request for comment. | OHSU did not respond to a request for comment. |
| – Maureen O’Hagan | – Maureen O’Hagan |
| Karla Dominguez, 33Pediatric nurse wore Minions scrubs and connected with children | Karla Dominguez, 33Pediatric nurse wore Minions scrubs and connected with children |
| Occupation: Registered nursePlace of work: Providence Children’s hospital in El Paso, TexasDate of death: 19 April 2020 | Occupation: Registered nursePlace of work: Providence Children’s hospital in El Paso, TexasDate of death: 19 April 2020 |
| As a child, Karla Dominguez dreamed of becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon. One Christmas, she received a doctor’s bag. “Every time I came home, she’d say, ‘Let me listen to your heart; let me see how you’re doing,’” recalled her father, Carlos Dominguez. | As a child, Karla Dominguez dreamed of becoming a pediatric neurosurgeon. One Christmas, she received a doctor’s bag. “Every time I came home, she’d say, ‘Let me listen to your heart; let me see how you’re doing,’” recalled her father, Carlos Dominguez. |
| Hurdles getting into medical school dampened her spirits. Then she pursued nursing, a field in which she blossomed. | Hurdles getting into medical school dampened her spirits. Then she pursued nursing, a field in which she blossomed. |
| “She was so full of joy, so happy with her work,” said Dominguez, a doctor. She wore scrubs with cartoon Minions and managed to connect with even the most challenging patients, her father said. A few years into her nursing career, she considered reapplying to medical school, but ultimately decided to stick with nursing because it allowed for more interaction with patients. | “She was so full of joy, so happy with her work,” said Dominguez, a doctor. She wore scrubs with cartoon Minions and managed to connect with even the most challenging patients, her father said. A few years into her nursing career, she considered reapplying to medical school, but ultimately decided to stick with nursing because it allowed for more interaction with patients. |
| In early April, she began experiencing excruciating headaches – symptoms that have since been associated with Covid-19. She visited urgent care and the emergency room and was twice denied a coronavirus test. She was eventually hospitalized. Tests revealed she had the virus and CT scans showed brain hemorrhaging. | In early April, she began experiencing excruciating headaches – symptoms that have since been associated with Covid-19. She visited urgent care and the emergency room and was twice denied a coronavirus test. She was eventually hospitalized. Tests revealed she had the virus and CT scans showed brain hemorrhaging. |
| Dominguez doesn’t know how his daughter contracted the virus but suspects she may have contracted it at work. Providence did not respond to a request for comment. | Dominguez doesn’t know how his daughter contracted the virus but suspects she may have contracted it at work. Providence did not respond to a request for comment. |
| – Maureen O’Hagan | – Maureen O’Hagan |
| John Abruzzo, 62The ‘life of the party’ who bonded with patients | John Abruzzo, 62The ‘life of the party’ who bonded with patients |
| Occupation: Registered nursePlace of work: Huntington hospital in Huntington, New YorkDate of death: 2 April 2020 | Occupation: Registered nursePlace of work: Huntington hospital in Huntington, New YorkDate of death: 2 April 2020 |
| Long Island is where John Abruzzo was born, raised, worked and died. The second of 14 children, he was the “life of the party”, said his daughter, Christina Ravanes. He loved poker and fishing. He had a son as well, and three grandchildren. | Long Island is where John Abruzzo was born, raised, worked and died. The second of 14 children, he was the “life of the party”, said his daughter, Christina Ravanes. He loved poker and fishing. He had a son as well, and three grandchildren. |
| Abruzzo developed strong friendships with patients, said Susan Knoepffler, the hospital’s chief nursing officer. “He had a winning smile. He was kind of a teddy bear,” she said. | Abruzzo developed strong friendships with patients, said Susan Knoepffler, the hospital’s chief nursing officer. “He had a winning smile. He was kind of a teddy bear,” she said. |
| He tested positive for Covid-19 in late March and died five days later. “I went from seeing my dad at a wedding,” Ravanes said, “to the next time I see him, it’s ashes.” | He tested positive for Covid-19 in late March and died five days later. “I went from seeing my dad at a wedding,” Ravanes said, “to the next time I see him, it’s ashes.” |
| His wife, Mary Abruzzo, died eight days later, on her birthday, Ravanes said, likely from complications related to type 1 diabetes (she had not been exposed to her husband when he was infected). | His wife, Mary Abruzzo, died eight days later, on her birthday, Ravanes said, likely from complications related to type 1 diabetes (she had not been exposed to her husband when he was infected). |
| As of 18 June, no other nurses at Huntington hospital had died of Covid-19, Knoepffler said, adding that the facility was well prepared and never ran out of supplies. What’s missing, she said, is Abruzzo. | As of 18 June, no other nurses at Huntington hospital had died of Covid-19, Knoepffler said, adding that the facility was well prepared and never ran out of supplies. What’s missing, she said, is Abruzzo. |
| – James Faris, James Madison University | – James Faris, James Madison University |
Previous version
1
Next version