Our union again faces the heartbreaking news that we have lost a nurse to COVID-19.

Maria Lopez, who worked for nearly twenty years in the University of Illinois Hospital Operating Room, passed away after becoming infected with this terrible virus. She, like Joyce Le Blanc, did not work in a designated COVID-19 unit.

Maria was set to retire at the end of April. Despite the risks associated with overcrowded hospitals and minimal PPE, she continued to report to work every day to take care of her patients. She, like too many other healthcare workers in this country, is a casualty of the frontline.

Maria is remembered by her colleagues as a nurse with an enormous heart who made every work day fun. She was full of life and laughter, and was very well respected for her skill and experience in nursing.

In the words of her co-worker, Mary Ann Zervakis Brent, Chief CRNA:

Maria was a dear friend and colleague for many years. The nurse anesthetists and I loved working with her in the operating room (most often in robotic cases). She was one of a kind and the absolute best person. She had an enormous heart and made every work day fun. Maria was full of life and laughter. Words cannot express how much I will miss my Amiga and she will live in my heart every day.

Simple words cannot express the loss felt in the Operating Room after Maria’s passing. We join Maria’s family and co-workers in mourning her. More information about how to help her family during a painful time will be available in the coming days.