‘HERO’

Top ER Doctor on Front Lines of COVID-19 in NYC Dies by Suicide

“Make sure she’s praised as a hero, because she was. She’s a casualty just as much as anyone else who has died,” her father said.

An emergency room doctor who was on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak in New York City died by suicide on Sunday, her father told The New York Times. Dr. Lorna M. Breen was the medical director of New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital’s emergency department, which was badly hit by the coronavirus. “She tried to do her job, and it killed her,” her father, Dr. Philip C. Breen, told the Times. According to Breen, she did not have a history of mental illness. Lorna, who contracted the coronavirus but went back to work after she recovered, died in her family’s home in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she was staying, her father said. “She was truly in the trenches of the front line,” 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.”

Dr. Angela Mills, the head of emergency medical services at several NewYork-Presbyterian hospitals, told the Times in an email: “A death presents us with many questions that we may not be able to answer.” 

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741