Every doctor and nurse’s knows that their worst nightmare would be a patient who comes into your unit on the near death turns out to be a loved one.
The nightmare came true for Orange County nurse Jennifer Medina, who was told a John Doe was arriving by ambulance in critical condition, the victim of a hit-and-run accident according to NBC Los Angeles.
As doctors and other medical staff tried to save the life of the young man, Medina and another nurse were grabbing his wallet to try to identify him, only to make the heartbreaking discovery.
“I recognized the wallet … and she opened it up and it was my brother’s face right there,” Medina told NBC Los Angeles. “Everything just collapsed; I couldn’t hold it together.”
Cesar Andres Medina would die later that night at the hospital, according to the NBC story, and 19-year-old Andrew Christopher Michaels was arrested the next day in connection with the crime.
A GoFundMe account started to help Medina pay for her brother’s funeral expenses saw an outpouring of prayers and donations, totaling $15,125.
On the page, Medina recounts the terrible ending to the night and shares what her brother was about.
“The Dr. tried to bring his heart back, but there was too much trauma to the brain,” the GoFundMe page reads. “Andy had so many goals for his future and was taken from all of us too soon. I just want all the people he loved and loved him to get a chance to say their last goodbyes to him.”
