Northbridge Family Remembers Murdered Doctor For Compassion, Caring For Sick Baby
BOSTON (CBS) - A Northbridge grandmother is grateful for the compassionate treatment her 21-month-old granddaughter received from the doctor found murdered in her South Boston penthouse.
Dr. Lina Bolanos, 38, and her fiance, 49-year-old Dr. Richard Field were found with their throats slashed inside the Macallen Building in South Boston on Friday.
Kerrie Hendee says Bolanos was the pediatric anesthesiologist who helped her granddaughter, Addisyn, during 28 surgeries at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. Addisyn, who was born addicted to drugs, uses a tracheotomy to breathe, a g-tube to eat, and has endured multiple surgeries to clear masses in her throat.
"She wasn't just a doctor. She was your friend," Hendee said.
Hendee says Bolanos frequently helped her navigate the minefields of caring for a sick baby by helping to answer her questions on health insurance and medical equipment.
"She just went in and explained everything as if we were just two friends talking instead of doctor talk," Hendee said.
Bolanos is originally from Colombia. She worked as a pediatric anesthesiologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and was also an instructor at Harvard Medical School.
After news of her death the Chief Medical Officer and Chief of Anesthesia at Massachusetts Eye and Ear released a statement saying in part:
"Lina personified the ideal traits of a pediatric anesthesiologist, combining excellent skill with great compassion. She was warm and caring with both parents and the children she treated, creating a sense of calm even while managing the most stressful of cases."
Hendee says her next appointment to bring Addisyn to Massachusetts Eye and Ear is on Tuesday and she is concerned for the team of doctors who have cared for her granddaughter from the beginning.
"That's their colleague, their friend. And, I just don't know what to say because she was such a great woman," Hendee said.