OThe result of an uncontestable election day was the death of a respected and beloved emergency room doctor who left two young children by Kovid-19.
Dr. of Lubbock, Texas. Juan Fitz fell ill in mid-October. They were on the ventilator, fighting for their lives, as President Trump walked from rally to rally repeating a despicable and false accusation that the epidemic was being counted as a death knell to “get more money”. This baseless claim drew excitement, mostly from masculine supporters who followed his example of carelessness in ignoring precautions, which might have saved thousands of lives and still save tens of thousands.
Individual voting was underway across the country when 67-year-old Fitz died at Claremont Medical Center, where she saved many lives. He was one of eight people lost to the virus in Lubbock County, along with 1,122 others nationally on election day. He also leaves behind a wife, adult daughter and fellow emergency medicine workers who treated him with great respect.
“My specialty in emergency medicine just lost Dr. Juan Fitz, the leader for COVID,” said Dr. Oregon. Esther Chu tweeted. “He was an outstanding physician and a leader in the field, active in Texas C College Led Emergency f Emergency Physician and American K College Led Emergency F Emergency Physician.”
He further said, “My colleagues and I will go there every day until these things are over for you, even if it is not like that. And we suffer from a lack of testing, and a heartbreaking loss like this. “
In 2008, Fitz was named “Emergency Medicine Hero” by American College Ledger Emergency Physicians. This June he lived for 34 years, when the organization posted an interview with him about the fight on the front lines against the Covid-19. He said he was considering his time in the Army.
“My previous military background causes me to prepare myself for each patient as if I were going on patrol, with as much caution as possible.”
“I wake up around 3am every morning with worries that I have an infection and have been brought home to my immediate family. ”
– Juan Fitz Dr.
Her main concern was her loved ones.
“I have two children at home, ages 10 and 10 months old. I wake up around 3am every morning with worries that I have an infection and have been brought home to my immediate family. There is also extra stress from other family members. I am fortunate that I have faith. ”
He was asked what he was particularly upset about about the epidemic.
“It’s the uncertainty of the symptoms,” he said. “Many patients are present with a lot of different symptoms such as stroke or heart issues and test positive for the virus. There is no poetry or reason. There are some who look like they have Covid-19 symptoms but the test is negative while others did not believe us to be infected with the virus, test positive. It’s hard not to have enough equipment or tests. I am frustrated with people who fail to understand this epidemic. ”
He was also asked about the impact on his personal life.
“It simply came to our notice then. My spouse is much younger than me and has no medical background so the stress has been more. He always said ‘Dr. Google ‘and I read how to bring the virus home. I changed the way he practiced, not because of his anxiety but because of me. I definitely didn’t want to bring it home so I had to get organized and start changing scrubs and clothes before greeting my kids. I am not able to talk about what happened [Emergency Department] Because they don’t understand. Instead, I talk to my fellow doctors and veterans. “
He added, “I see my son sad because he can’t go out to play or go to the park. But this has brought me closer to my son and daughter. I spend as much time with them as possible. “
The next question was what motivated them to keep fighting.
“We have emergency medicine. We are Mavericks, the forerunner. As I say to my students and residents, ‘I’m airborne, I ride horses, I go in its thickness and find ways to improve and sort things out, being challenged by the situation.’ I have always wanted to be a doctor, and I prefer to be an emergency doctor. ”
He gave a message to the patients.
“We are here to take care of you! We are trained for strangers, we are trained in chaos and how to control it. Emergency medicine is a state of chaos. We are ready to take the drug Sherlock Holmes, the unexpected. We take the most serious of the sick. We are here for you 24/7/365. ”
Then came the day in October when Fitz began to experience Covid-19 symptoms. He was at home and went to the emergency room, this time as a patient. He drove himself there because if his wife had chased him, the children would have come along too.
“In my mind – and I’m sure that too, it was going to go through it.”
– Christie Martinez-Garcia
“He didn’t want to shock his kids,” a friend named Christy Martinez-Garcia told the Daily Beast. “When he got there, he sent me a message. He says, ‘Hey, I’ve come down with a coronavirus. Keep me in prayer. ‘
Martinez-Garcia is the publisher Latino Lubbock Magazine. Fitz was writing a column for it called “Doctor Cutter in,” and suggested that he would be able to report in advance about receiving COVID-19 when he was released.
Martinez-Garcia said, “In my mind – and I’m sure his too – he was going to go through it.” “But then he didn’t.”
It quickly went from bad to worse. Word spread among many of those who worked with him, including retired firefighter Eddie Kirkpatrick, who spent five years as an emergency technician at Claremont Hospital, leaving before Covid-19.
“I think he catches everyone off guard,” Kirkpatrick said. “You didn’t think he would get it, and when he got it, he just grabbed it with both hands.”
Fitz was soon on a ventilator in the ICU. An ER nurse texted Kirkpatrick on Tuesday that Fitz had died. Kirkpatrick later did everything Fitz should have been a doctor.
Fitz was a relentless patient with medical students and residents. It would remain a picture of calm in the most dire crises, yet in his mind everything that needed to be done flared up. Kirkpatrick compared Fitz to a floating duck.
The feet are going 100 miles underwater in an hour, Kirkpatrick said. “But it doesn’t let you see that.”
It was his compassion and determination to do what Fitz did that everyone could see and feel. He was a guy with COVID-19 who would have been glad he was someone else instead.
“He’s a really nice guy who helps people and he gets it,” Kirkpatrick said. “I tell you, it would have been better. He’s that kind of person, he cares about people. Docs like them don’t often come around. “
Martinez-Garcia was heartbroken, she felt a loss for herself, for her family and for the community she called. Myself My people.
“It really exemplifies being a dock,” he said. “He died taking care of others. The hardest part is he’s gone. He’s just gone. “
She recalled a gala moment in which Fitz brought her children.
“I remember him kissing them.” “He was the superhero of his children. And you know, he was a superhero to me. “
Fitz also had fun being around. Whether with his children or his wife or his friends or emergency medicine teammates, he always enjoyed it.
“His laughter will be missed,” Martinez-Garcia said. “Dr. Fitz will miss everything. He always had a way of making things better. “
She spoke of the responsibility of all the health care workers on the front lines and the rest of the people to back them up.
“They don’t think about themselves, they think about taking care of their patients,” he said. “We’ve helped through mask-up and taking all precautionary requirements.”
One precaution that will be taken in Lubbock makes the upcoming Veterans Parade virtual. The theme will be unity. There will be special recognition for Fitz.
“His service on the battlefield and then in the hospital,” he said.
She hopes her example will connect with all of our autumn heroes to teach a badly needed lesson.
He said, “We need to stand as one.
But more recently, there have been many who stand up for themselves, failing to take even simple steps to save the lives of others, even when speaking enthusiastically about the American people. And President Trump is encouraging them, saying that all the talk of Covid-19 is done by Democrats.
In fact, reducing Trump’s risk was part of his political strategy to divert voters’ attention from the more than 230,000 deaths and keep them focused on the economy.
A disappointing number of Americans were only doing it on election day, as Fitz became the latest to die.
“He’s gone,” Martinez said. “It simply came to our notice then. I think this is what makes me angry. We can still get it. “
And certainly about the future, whatever the final vote count, it is that Fitz’s now young children will grow up without him.
“It’s just a pity they’re not going to see him,” he said.
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