It’s been a year since my friend Michelle killed herself on Christmas.
An emergency doc traveling the world helping anyone in need, Michelle died from lack of medical care—here in the US.
Asked why she became a doctor, she said “When I figured out what I was capable of and what the world needs, there was no other choice.”
She trained in NYC where her patients spoke > 130 languages. Nothing fazed her.
An adrenaline junkie, Michelle thrived working in crime-ridden inner cities to Iraqi war zones and Amazonian jungles—thousands are alive today because of her.
After surviving childhood sexual abuse, she devoted herself to the traumatized—finding “her people” in New Orleans dive bars, Oklahoma Native reservations, Iraqi gas stations, where she’d be hanging out speaking in Arabic.
In her free time Michelle was Caribbean night snorkeling, racing her sports car through narrow New Orleans streets.
Her friends called her “Hurricane Fernandez.” She lived life in the eye of the storm, yet shared love effortlessly—through handmade cards & jewelry—like this necklace she made me.
Michelle had well-managed depression and ADHD—until her doctor retired. Despite our help, she couldn’t find a new doctor to fill her meds. Hopelessly depressed, she shot herself in a park.
Months later, no obituary. So we wrote one & threw a party at her favorite bar.
Michelle gave with high integrity, yet she was repeatedly betrayed.
Michelle wanted care. No doctor wanted her.
Michelle wanted a burial. She was cremated.
Michelle wanted her estate donated to cat rescue. Her wish remains unfulfilled. Though her life insurance agent turned “beneficiary” is now flaunting lavish vacations pics with a young woman online So we just confronted him.
If you hate this ending as much as we do, leave a comment: “Michelle deserved better.”
Michelle deserved better. 💔
Michelle deserved better.
Michelle deserved better
Michelle deserved better. My friend Karen shared Michelle’s story with me, after she died.
So tragic. Indeed, #Michelle_deserved_better . 💔
We can’t be hiding these physicians in the closet. Too many skeletons.
Yes, she deserved better and her wishes should have been fulfilled. The world is getting too greedy and fast paced. She gave so much. Prayers her soul rests in peace now.
Michelle deserved better.
Michelle deserved better.
Michelle deserved better.
Michelle may be gone, but you and her friends are making sure she is not forgotten. Thank you for keeping her memory alive. 😢
Michelle deserves better!
Michelle definitely deserves so much better.
Michelle Fernandez’s life and death will forever impact me and those in our organization who worked with her. Michelle worked for a Locums Company what I own. She volunteered to go to the remote areas of the country for the adventure and to fill a need. “Who wants to go to Nome, AK? I will go!”
Michelle worked in St. Thomas, USVI with our group, where she volunteered for the shifts that the other doctors did not want. Her generosity was not appreciated – she deserved better. Michelle commented that she had to rely on herself, as others in her life had not fulfilled their expected roles. She trusted a few people, mostly those on this thread. Michelle deserved better – I hope she knew that she was loved and respected. Her life made a difference to me.
Michelle deserved so much better.
Michelle deserved better
She did deserve better, and while I am empathetic, I am on the other side of the fence as a patient who has lost her immune system, been judged, lost all my specialists, been told I no longer had CHF, no longer needed my heart meds or an ICD after 23 years of heart disease, after I suffered from MRSA, and it’s Gas Gangrene and was told I was seeing things, so I sent a video and took away plausible deniability by putting it on record because I was told I could only stay on as a patient if I saw their psychiatrist. Well I said no, I was also told to take a data breach $200 settlement fine print was that I couldn’t sue them or any affiliations ever, I never said I was going to. What Inwanted was for my doctor to treat my condition as per CDC protocol and although she was willing to refer me to The specialist whom she knew had no space due to volunteering his beds to COVID, it was a mute point, and she refused it to admit me to the hospital for the same IV Antibiotics. I was dropped as a patient, I believe they call it patient alienation because Incalled them on doctoring my medical records and deleting patient doctor messages and told them ai had the originals so they may as well put them back. I was bribed by my doctor told she would sign any form write any letter etc, all but two of my ten specialists followed her and dropped me, I was told I could only see residents, I am unable to receive any kind of care as ER was going to admit me to the hospital until the supervising doctor stopped them, I’ve been red flagged. Most recently I got a root canal infection and my dysfunctional immune system in response I had twenty days of anaphylactic reactions, the clostridium Perfringens went under my skin and my primary doctor wrote in his note that ai was picking my skin. I called the dermatologist with no avail, I went to the dentist who’s preformed a root canal because at this point within three weeks I’d lost six upper teeth and he I learned later was trying to cover up the fact that he botched the root canal, when I asked how I could loose six teeth in three weeks he told me he had no clue. So now what to do I have an IPMN on my pancreas Tail Main Duct that grew 37% in six months over a year ago, and they won’t do another MRI/MRCP until May, by then it will have doubled in size. Growth is a red flag for transformation to malignancy. I have been in pain for over a year now, (8/10), yet I have nowhere to go. I never had these problems in Oklahoma, or California.
I was led to this site because Hospitals are burning out doctors, and although I’m empathetic, it’s no excuse or reason to allow lack of patient care, patient profiling, poor judgment, and just all in all doctor burnout flowing over into the patients while the administrators boast about how their hospital and doctors are the best in their fields, and how you won’t get better care anywhere else, just don’t look under our carports or in our closets..
am She did deserve better, and while I am empathetic, I am on the other side of the fence as a patient who has lost her immune system, been judged, lost all my specialists, been told I no longer had CHF, no longer needed my heart meds or an ICD after 23 years of heart disease, after I suffered from MRSA, and it’s Gas Gangrene and was told I was seeing things, so I sent a video and took away plausible deniability by putting it on record because I was told I could only stay on as a patient if I saw their psychiatrist. Well I said no, I was also told to take a data breach $200 settlement fine print was that I couldn’t sue them or any affiliations ever, I never said I was going to. What Inwanted was for my doctor to treat my condition as per CDC protocol and although she was willing to refer me to The specialist whom she knew had no space due to volunteering his beds to COVID, it was a mute point, and she refused it to admit me to the hospital for the same IV Antibiotics. I was dropped as a patient, I believe they call it patient alienation because Incalled them on doctoring my medical records and deleting patient doctor messages and told them ai had the originals so they may as well put them back. I was bribed by my doctor told she would sign any form write any letter etc, all but two of my ten specialists followed her and dropped me, I was told I could only see residents, I am unable to receive any kind of care as ER was going to admit me to the hospital until the supervising doctor stopped them, I’ve been red flagged. Most recently I got a root canal infection and my dysfunctional immune system in response I had twenty days of anaphylactic reactions, the clostridium Perfringens went under my skin and my primary doctor wrote in his note that ai was picking my skin. I called the dermatologist with no avail, I went to the dentist who’s preformed a root canal because at this point within three weeks I’d lost six upper teeth and he I learned later was trying to cover up the fact that he botched the root canal, when I asked how I could loose six teeth in three weeks he told me he had no clue. So now what to do I have an IPMN on my pancreas Tail Main Duct that grew 37% in six months over a year ago, and they won’t do another MRI/MRCP until May, by then it will have doubled in size. Growth is a red flag for transformation to malignancy. I have been in pain for over a year now, (8/10), yet I have nowhere to go. I never had these problems in Oklahoma, or California.