Photo shows ER doctor's emotional breakdown after losing 19-year-old patient

We don’t know who this doctor is or what hospital he works at. We can’t even see his face through the graininess of the photo, but one thing we do know is the anguish he is experiencing when this photo was taken. A photo posted by Reddit user NickMoore911 shows the heartbreaking moment when the death of a 19-year-old patient became too much for this ER doctor to handle.

“The man pictured was unable to save one of his patients,” Moore wrote. “Though this is a common occurrence in our field of work, the patients we lose are typically old, sick, or some combination of the two. The patient that died was 19 years old, and for him, it was one of those calls we get sometimes that just hits you.”

Moore, who works as an EMT in California, said a fellow paramedic snapped the photo and he received permission before sharing it. Life and death is so much a part of the medical profession that it’s easy to think doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff members are somehow immune to tragedy. Moore shared the photo to show that the weight of a patient’s death can rest heavy on the doctor’s shoulders despite seeing death almost every day. 

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