SHOULD NOT BE SEEN AS A SUBSTITUTE, THOUGH, FOR SOCIAL
DISTANCING.
DISTANCING. SAVANNAH?
SAVANNAH? >>> AND NOW, GUYS, ONE OF THE
SADDEST AND MOST SHOCKING
STORIES WE’VE HAD TO COVER
DURING THIS CORONAVIRUS
OUTBREAK.
OUTBREAK. DR. LORNA BREEN OVERSAW THE E.R.
AT NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN
HOSPITAL, WORKING AT THE CENTER
OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS, SHE EVEN
CONTRACTED THE VIRUS HERSELF.
WELL EARLIER THIS WEEK DR. BREEN
DIED BY SUICIDE.
IT’S A LOSS THAT HAS LEFT HER
FAMILY REELING AND REMINDS ALL
OF US OF THE MENTAL HEALTH
CHALLENGES FACING SO MANY
FRONTLINE WORKERS.
FRONTLINE WORKERS. WE SPOKE WITH LORNA’S SISTER AND
BROTHER-IN-LAW YESTERDAY, THEIR
FIRST INTERVIEW AND I ASKED THEM
TO TELL US ABOUT THE LORNA THEY
LOVED AND ADORED.
>> MY SISTER WAS BEAUTIFUL.
SHE HAD SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SOUL.
SHE WAS BRILLIANT.
SHE CARED SO MUCH ABOUT HER
FRIENDS, HER COLLEAGUES, HER
PATIENTS, HER FAMILY.
SHE LOVED THE WORLD, SHE LOVED
TO TRAVEL.
TO TRAVEL. AND I JUST WOULD WANT PEOPLE TO
KNOW HOW MUCH SHE GAVE TO THE
WORLD IN HER TIME HERE.
>> DR. LORNA BREEN’S FAMILY SAYS
SHE WAS THE FRIEND YOU WISHED
FOR AND THE DOCTOR EVERYONE
DESERVES, A DYNAMO, EQUAL PARTS
FIERCE AND FUN, JUST RETURNED
FROM THIS SNOWBOARDING TRIP TO
MONTANA WITH HER SISTER IN EARLY
MARCH WHEN DUTY CALLED.
SHE WENT TO WORK IN THE
EMERGENCY ROOM SHE HEADED AT NEW
YORK PRESBYTERIAN’S ALLEN
HOSPITAL JUST AS THE PANDEMIC
WAS TIGHTENING ITS GRIP ON NEW
YORK.
YORK. >> WHAT DID SHE SAY ABOUT WHAT
IT WAS LIKE IN HER HOSPITAL?
>> SHE SAID IT WAS LIKE
ARMAGEDDON.
ARMAGEDDON. SHE SAID THERE ARE SO MANY SICK
PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.
PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. SHE SAID PEOPLE ARE JUST DYING
IN THE WAITING ROOM BEFORE THEY
EVEN GET IN.
THERE AREN’T ENOUGH HOOKUPS FOR
THE OXYGEN TO HELP THEM.
THEY’RE NOT GETTING ADMITTED
FAST ENOUGH.
FAST ENOUGH. YOU KNOW, WE JUST -- WE CAN’T
KEEP UP.
KEEP UP. >> WITHIN DAYS LORNA CONTRACTED
COVID HERSELF, RECOVERING AT
HOME FOR JUST A MATTER OF DAYS
AND THEN HEADING RIGHT BACK IN.
>> HOW MUCH WAS SHE WORKING?
>> SHE HAD 12-HOUR SHIFTS.
AND WHEN SHE FINISHED SHE SAID I
CAN’T LEAVE.
CAN’T LEAVE. NOBODY’S LEAVING.
NOBODY’S LEAVING. I HAVE TO STAY AND HELP.
AND I KEPT TELLING MY SISTER,
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN’T -- IF YOU
CAN’T FUNCTION YOU CAN’T HELP
ANYBODY.
ANYBODY. YOU HAVE TO SLEEP.
YOU HAVE TO REST.
SHE DIDN’T WANT TO GIVE UP.
SHE WOULD NOT GIVE UP.
SHE WOULD NOT LET IT BREAK HER,
WHICH OF COURSE IT DID.
>> THERE CAME A TIME WHEN SHE
CALLED AND ASKED FOR HELP.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THAT
CONVERSATION?
CONVERSATION? >> SHE SAID SHE COULDN’T GET OUT
OF HER CHAIR.
AND I TOLD HER THAT I WOULD BUY
HER A PLANE TICKET, AND THAT SHE
SHOULD GO TO THE AIRPORT AND SHE
SAID, I CAN’T, AND I SAID CAN
YOU GO TO THE TRAIN?
AND THEY SAIDSHE SAID, NO, SHE S
CAN’T GET OUT OF THE CHAIR.
AND SO SHE HAD A DEAR FRIEND,
WHO HAPPENS TO BE A PSYCHIATRIST
IN CONNECTICUT, FROM MED SCHOOL,
AND I CALLED HER AND SAID, CAN
YOU HELP?
YOU HELP? AND TO HER CREDIT SHE LITERALLY
STOPPED EVERYTHING SHE WAS DOING
AND DROVE TO NEW YORK AND SHE
CALLED ME AND SAID SHE CAN COME
TO VIRGINIA, BUT SHE’S GOING TO
NEED A LOT OF HELP.
SO HER FRIEND DROVE HER ON THE
SPOT FROM NEW YORK TO
PHILADELPHIA, WHERE MY SISTER’S
BEST FRIEND FROM HIGH SCHOOL
PICKED HER UP AND DROVE HER TO
BALTIMORE AND I PICKED HER UP AT
9:30 AT NIGHT ON THE SIDE OF 695
OUTSIDE OF BALTIMORE AND I DROVE
STRAIGHT TO UVA EMERGENCY ROOM
HERE IN CHARLOTTESVILLE.
>> LORNA STAYED AT UVA HEALTH
FOR 11 DAYS.
>> I TALKED TO HER, OF COURSE,
EVERY DAY IN THE HOSPITAL.
AND SHE SEEMED LIKE SHE WAS KIND
OF COMING BACK.
AND SHE JUST -- SHE WANTED TO
GET OUT.
GET OUT. SHE WANTED TO GO BACK TO WORK.
>> LAST WEEKEND SHE MOVED IN
WITH HER SISTER JENNIFER AND HER
HUSBAND COREY.
HUSBAND COREY. ON SUNDAY SHE DIED BY SUICIDE.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED TO LORNA, DO YOU
BELIEVE IT WAS A RESULT OF HER
BEING SICK WITH COVID, OR DO YOU
BELIEVE IT WAS A RESULT OF HER
HAVING TO WORK SO HARD UNDER
THESE INCREDIBLY STRENUOUS
CONDITIONS BECAUSE OF COVID?
>> SAVANNAH, I KNOW, FOR MYSELF,
I KNOW IN MY HEART THAT IT WAS
BOTH.
BOTH. SHE HAD COVID, AND I BELIEVE
THAT IT ALTERED HER BRAIN.
AND THEN SHE WENT BACK TO THE
MOST HORRIFIC, UNIMAGINABLE
CONDITIONS, AND FOR SOMEBODY
WHOSE LIFE’S CALLING IS HELPING
PEOPLE, AND SHE JUST COULDN’T
HELP ENOUGH PEOPLE, AND THE
COMBINATION WAS JUST UNTENABLE.
>> DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT’S
POSSIBLE THAT THIS WAS AN EFFECT
OF THE VIRUS ITSELF, A PHYSICAL
EFFECT ON HER MIND AND HER
BRAIN?
BRAIN? >> I AM 100% SURE, OF COURSE
WITH NO SCIENTIFIC BACKING, THAT
COVID AFFECTED HER BRAIN.
WE’VE ASKED THE DOCTORS AT UVA
TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON MY
SISTER’S BRAIN TO TELL US IF
THIS IS THE CASE.
BUT I AM CERTAIN THAT THIS
AFFECTED HER BRAIN.
THERE’S NO QUESTION.
>> I KNOW THAT’S ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY YOU’RE TALKING TO ME
TODAY IS BECAUSE YOU WANT TO
HELP, AND YOU WANT TO PUT THIS
COUNTRY ON NOTICE THAT THEIR
HEALTH CARE WORKERS NEED CARE
TOO.
TOO. >> YEAH, VERY MUCH SO.
AND I’M HEARING SO MUCH FROM
PEOPLE WHO WORK IN HEALTH CARE
SAYING WE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE
BRAVE, WE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE
STRONG, IT’S NOT OKAY TO SAY
THAT YOU’RE SUFFERING.
THERE’S A STIGMA.
AND I KNOW MY SISTER FELT LIKE
SHE COULDN’T SIT DOWN.
SHE COULDN’T STOP WORKING.
AND SHE CERTAINLY COULDN’T TELL
ANYBODY SHE WAS STRUGGLING.
AND THAT NEEDS TO BE A
CONVERSATION THAT CHANGES.
>> I KNOW YOU’VE SET UP A
WEBSITE, DRLORNABREEN.COM
WEBSITE, DRLORNABREEN.COM BECAUSE YOU’RE HOPING TO RAID
AWARENESS AND RESOURCES FOR
THESE VERY MENTAL HEALTH
PROGRAMS THAT DOCTORS AND NURSES
AND FRONTLINE WORKERS SO BADLY
NEED.
NEED. >> THE NAME OF THE FUND IS THE
DR. LORNA BREEN HEROES FUND
BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE ARE SO
MANY MORE HEROES OTHER THAN
LORNA OUT THERE AND WE WANT TO
DO WHAT WE CAN TO HONOR THOSE
HEROES AND RAISE AWARENESS FOR
THOSE HEROES BECAUSE THEY CAN’T
ALWAYS DO IT FOR THEMSELVES.
>> SAVANNAH, I WANT TO ADD
SOMETHING ELSE TOO.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE WORKING
TOGETHER, IF YOU HAVE A
COLLEAGUE OR A FRIEND, AND YOU
ARE WONDERING IF THEY’RE
SUFFERING, THEY PROBABLY ARE,
AND YOU SHOULD REACH OUT TO THAT
PERSON.
PERSON. >> HOW ARE YOU GOING TO REMEMBER
LORNA?
LORNA? HOW DO YOU WANT TO REMEMBER HER?
>> MY SISTER WAS ON FIRE.
SHE COULD NOT BE STOPPED.
SHE WAS FULL OF JOY.
SHE WAS FULL OF LIFE.
THE LORNA OF THE FIRST 49 YEARS
WAS JUST SO HAPPY.
AND SHE HAD A DEEP FAITH, GOOD
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. SHE LOVED HER FAMILY.
AND THAT’S HOW I’LL REMEMBER
HER.
HER. >> HODA, I THINK ALL OF US NEED
TO REMEMBER HER AND REMEMBER ALL
THE DOCTORS LIKE HER THAT ARE
WORKING SO HARD ON THE FRONT
LINES.
LINES. I WAS SO STRUCK BECAUSE SHE
REALLY WAS A DYNAMO.
SHE HAD, ACCORDING TO HER
FAMILY, NO HISTORY OF MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES AT ALL, WAS A
STRONG AND VIBRANT PERSON,
DEDICATED TO HER JOB, DEDICATED
TO HER FAMILY.
AND YET SOMEHOW THIS TOOK HER.
AND THEY REALLY WANT TO RAISE
AWARENESS ABOUT THAT.
>> BOY, I THINK THEY DID THAT.
SAVANNAH.
SAVANNAH. I READ ABOUT HER IN NEWSPAPER
ARTICLES, AND UNTIL THIS MOMENT
I DIDN’T REALLY GET IT UNTIL
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. AND I THINK THE WHOLE THING,
WHAT THEY SAID THERE, LIKE IF A
HEALTH CARE WORKER, WHETHER OR
NOT THEY SAY THEY NEED HELP, ASK
THEM IF THEY NEED HELP WAS SO
POIGNANT.
POIGNANT. HOW YOU DESCRIBED HER AS THE
FRIEND EVERYONE WISHED FOR AND