LAFAYETTE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The younger sisters of 28-year-old Dr. Adeline Fagan are hoping people use her as an example of both how to live life, but also why to take the pandemic seriously.
The youngest Fagan sister, Natalie, told NewsChannel 9, “We are not out of the woods with this virus yet. There are so many more people we are going to lose to this. For all those families that are about to lose their Adeline, it just breaks my heart.”
Dr. Adeline Fagan left the Syracuse area last summer to become a medical resident in a Houston hospital, where she likely got the virus. Over the weekend, Adeline didn’t survive an emergency surgery to fix a brain bleed, a side-effect of the machines helping her breathe.
“It came as a shock when she passed because she was making such progress,” Natalie said.
Natalie and her sister, Maureen, sat down with NewsChannel 9 on Monday, two months after they first shared Adeline’s fight against coronavirus.
Since her passing, messages of support from across the country have been coming in faster than the family can read them.
Natalie said, “It’s comforting to know that in the short time she got with us, she made an impact. She touched so many lives here. I think it’s a testament to her heart and soul.”
“Even on her worst days, she would find light in this world. I think just doing the littlest thing, and remembering to smile if you’re having a bad day… just those little things could lift someone’s day. Those are the little things Adeline was about. And how you can keep Adeline’s memory alive.”
More than $130,000 was raised on a GoFundMe for Adeline’s medical expenses. The total has jumped to more than $150,000 since she passed.
That money will still go toward medical bills and now funeral expenses. The family is also considering starting a scholarship in Dr. Fagan’s memory.
