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28-year-old Texas doctor dies after two month battle with coronavirus

Young doctor fell ill after ER coronavirus rotation and suffered ’massive  brain bleed

Graeme Massie
Los Angeles
Monday 21 September 2020 18:58 BST
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Scientists say more research needs to be done to determine the all-round effect that Covid-19 has on the brain
Scientists say more research needs to be done to determine the all-round effect that Covid-19 has on the brain (Getty)
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A doctor who contracted Covid-19 treating stricken patients at a Texas hospital has died after a two-month battle with the virus.

Dr Adeline Fagan became infected as she did a coronavirus rotation in the ER and died over the weekend after suffering a “massive brain bleed.”

Dr Fagan, 28, fell ill in early July and quarantined at home for a week after testing positive for Covid-19.

But her family say that her condition worsened and she began to fall over and her lips turned blue, a sign of lack of oxygen, according to Syracuse.com

Dr Fagan, who worked in obstetrics and gynaecology in Houston, was admitted as a patient as her condition deteriorated.

Doctors tried to give her an experimental drug and placed her onto life-support with an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine.

“Before we could see if this new drug was effective, her lungs could no longer support her,” her family wrote on her GoFundeMe page.

Dr Fagan spent several weeks in intensive care on a ventilator before suffering a “massive brain bleed” and doctors said she would need emergency surgery.

“The doctor said they have seen this type of event in COVID patients that spend time on ECMO,” they added.

Her family say she was only given a “1 in a million” chance of surviving the procedure, but Dr Fagan died before it could be performed.

“We spent the remaining minutes hugging, comforting, and talking to Adeline. And then the world stopped,” they wrote on Facebook.

Dr Fagan was originally from Syracuse, New York, and was in the second year of her residency.

“We want to sincerely thank all who supported Adeline and us through this difficult time,” her father Brant Fagan wrote in a CaringBridge post.

“You were all there cheering and praying and crying. The numbers of well wishes and caring people humbles us.

“Even in this darkest of times, there are good people willing to share a piece of themselves for the sake of another.

“If you can do one thing, be an “Adeline” in the world.

“Be passionate about helping others less fortunate, have a smile on your face, a laugh in your heart, and a Disney tune on your lips.”

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