LAFAYETTE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Maureen and Natalie Fagan cherish every photo they have of their sister, Dr. Adeline Fagan. Thanks to a pediatric dentist in Buffalo, now they have a new one to add to the collection.
When she learned of the 28-year-old Fagan’s death from coronavirus complications over the weekend, Dr. Carrie Wanamaker posted a photo of Fagan in the delivery room. The baby girl in the picture with Fagan is Wanamaker’s daughter, Aspen.
Wanamaker tells NewsChannel 9, “I see Adeline’s smile in my head because she was right there, literally holding up my dead-weight leg for hours. She did it with a smile and so much passion. I’m definitely going to tell Aspen how wonderful she was and now she’s an angel watching over her.”
Fagan was born and raised in LaFayette, went to Bishop Ludden High School, and then University at Buffalo medical school, where she was on rotation helping deliver babies.
Fagan’s sisters didn’t even know the photo existed until Wanamaker posted it on Facebook. From there, it was shared by Wanamaker’s dental school classmate, Dr. Tansy Scoonmaker, a pediatric dentist in DeWitt.
NewsChannel 9 showed the Fagan sisters the photo on Monday, when they sat down for an interview to talk about Adeline’s death.
On Monday, Fagan told NewsChannel 9, “It’s comforting to know that in the short time she got with us, she made an impact. She touched so many lives here and I think it’s a testament to her heart and soul.”
Dr. Fagan left the Syracuse area to become a medical resident at a Texas hospital in the summer of 2019. She was working toward becoming an OBGYN, but was on rotation in the emergency room when she likely caught coronavirus.
After months in the hospital, she died over the weekend from a brain bleed caused by the machines helping her breath.
The Fagan family is considering creating a scholarship in Adeline’s memory.
