When Jennifer Sidari came to see her uncle, Hazleton physician Jude F. Sidari, M.D., a week before her service mission to Haiti in April, she mostly wanted to know what medications he could spare for the children she would treat there.
"She had not one concern about herself, like where she was going to stay - not even mentioning it," he recalled Thursday. "She was one of those people who had to help everybody, whether it was in a grocery line or whatever. She just went out of her way with everything she did."
It was a selflessness her family and others who knew her had come to expect from Jennifer, who died early Wednesday at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, less than three weeks after she received her medical degree as a member of The Commonwealth Medical College's first graduating class.
The 26-year-old West Pittston resident and 2009 University of Scranton graduate planned to be a pediatrician. She was to do her residency at Geisinger, where she was scheduled to report for orientation this week, her uncle said.
Peter Sidari said his daughter's drive to help other people began in grade school, when she would bring home rescued dogs and cats to care for, but really blossomed after she enrolled at the University of Scranton. "The Jesuit philosophy of helping others had a huge influence on her," Mr. Sidari said.
Steven J. Scheinman, M.D., Commonwealth Medical College dean and president, said among the class of stars who were awarded their medical degrees on May 11, Jennifer "stood out like a bright beam of sunshine."
She was an excellent student who exuded a joy for life and an enthusiasm for her chosen career, Dr. Scheinman said. Everybody "talked about how lucky her patients were going to be."
"She was engaged in everything, in all directions, and in a good way," he said. "She was supportive of other people. She was always thinking of other people. She was very excited about becoming a pediatrician and taking care of children."
Her uncle said Jennifer felt the best way to help people was hands-on.
"She really felt that, by being a pediatrician, she could make a difference in people's lives," Dr. Sidari said. "She wanted that from day one."
During her three-week trip to Haiti, where she operated a pediatric clinic, some caregivers were reluctant to pick up the children because of body mites and the like, Mr. Sidari said.
Not Jennifer.
"Now here comes Jenny and pictures come back of her giving piggyback rides and holding them and hugging them with no concern for herself," her father said.
Her family said Jennifer became sick late last month after her return from Haiti, although her father said her illness is not believed to be related to that trip or to others she took recently to South Africa and Oakland, Calif., where she worked with HIV-positive children.
She complained of headaches and went to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp. on Sunday for routine blood tests to diagnose the problem.
"I never thought in a million years something would go wrong," Dr. Sidari's boyfriend, John Brunza, said Thursday evening at the Sidari family home.
Mr. Brunza said they were both "floored" when doctors spotted something that required her to be admitted. But still, the always-smiling, ever positive Jennifer didn't indicate anything was seriously wrong.
"We were talking about getting married. We talked about kids' names. We relived how we met," Mr. Brunza said, noting they met last year while walking their dogs in Scranton.
Family said they didn't suspect Jennifer's condition was life-threatening until Tuesday night when she was transferred to Geisinger Medical Center. She died Wednesday around 4:30 a.m., surrounded by family.
While the cause of her death is still being analyzed, family members said it appears an unknown, undetected ailment triggered a blood condition and the combination proved fatal.
"No one knew it was that bad," said Dr. Sidari's sister, Vicky, 16, explaining how the two were sending text messages back and forth the whole time. "Not even her."
Mr. Sidari said he hopes his daughter will be remembered for her selfless dedication to other people.
"If just one student picks up the footsteps she was walking in and the flag she was carrying - that dedication to the less fortunate - if one student does that, that will go a long way to healing our loss," he said.
Her obituary appears on B8.
BOB KALINOWSKI, staff writer, contributed to this report.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com