HERO: Colin Jorgensen, MD Emergency Resident Chicago
NOMINATED BY: Karen Henderson, Largay Travel

Colin Jorgensen is my son-in-law. Colin is currently a second year ER resident working in downtown Chicago. He was working in the ICU when COVID-19 made its way to Chicago and overwhelmed his hospital, taking up all open hospital beds, and he has been working non-stop since then, not infrequently working 28-hour shifts.

On average, Colin works around 80 hours every week, which would be exhausting even if there wasn’t a global pandemic.

Despite the amount of hours he is working, Colin continues to go to work each day, despite half of his resident class having already caught COVID-19, knowing full well he may be next. COVID-19 has caused unimaginable levels of loss, Colin seeing all of it first-hand. He has been using his own phone to allow patients to say goodbye to their loved ones over Skype, as no one else is allowed in the hospital room. Hospital staff is sometimes the only ones left in the room when a patient takes their final breath, and those in the room carry that burden of loss. Those working on the front lines have experienced incredible levels of trauma and heartbreak, and it is something I cannot imagine having to live with. Colin runs head-first into danger, not only because it is his job, but because it is what he was born to do. He was meant to save lives, no matter the personal harm that may come from doing so. He truly is my hero.