Help Maricela Ortega Heal After ER Tragedy

Hello, my name is Orlando Ortega, husband to Maricela Ortega. On Thursday, June 5th, 2025, my wife was working in the emergency room when she responded to assist with a patient who became irate. Maricela did what she was trained to do and called for aid from her fellow co-workers. Unfortunately, this would prove to be anything but routine. My wife was shot four times while trying to defend everyone in the ER. She and her partner fought to protect everyone, and even after being shot, she continued to try fighting. When asked why she didn’t stop, her only answer was, “If we didn’t stop him there, then so many others could’ve been hurt.”

My wife has been with Endeavor since 2018 and has always done her best to ensure the safety of all around her. As a disabled veteran who has been trained for literal war, hearing about the unfortunate events that took place rattled me. My wife has been our rock in the hardest of times. And while everyone keeps telling our son how much his mom and her partner are heroes, all he will remember is the feeling of seeing his mother in pain due to a cowardly act of violence. https://abc7chicago.com/post/christian-haywood-charged-shooting-evanston-hospital-injured-security-officer-inside-emergency-room-police/16697774/