A double tragedy struck a Mississippi family this week when both a mother and her newborn baby daughter died.
The Daily Mail reports Dr. Nikki Shoemake-Patterson died on June 1 while in labor with her third child. A friend of the family said she died from a pulmonary embolism during natural labor, but the report has not been confirmed. Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt said she died of natural causes.
On Wednesday, just a week after her mother’s death, newborn Aubrey Caroline Patterson also died, according to the report. Her cause of death is not mentioned.
They leave behind their husband and father, and a daughter and son, the report states.
Shoemake-Patterson was a 40-year-old surgeon who was loved and well respected in her community.
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OCH Regional Medical Center CEO Richard Hilton said Shoemake-Patterson impacted countless lives through her surgical practice.
“[She] was an excellent surgeon who cared about her patients and was passionate about the practice of medicine,” Hilton said.
The family’s story is a reminder that every innocent human being’s death is a tragedy.
