February 23, 1995: Vol26n28: Obituary

Monica Helmbrecht, 33, pediatrician
A memorial service was held Feb. 17 at Salem United Church of Christ
in Tonawanda for Monica Helmbrecht, 33, an Orchard Park pediatrician
and a clinical instructor of pediatrics at the UB School of Medicine
and Biomedical Sciences. Helmbrecht, who suffered from scleroderma, a
severe circulatory disease, died Feb. 12 after collapsing in the
Pittsburgh airport. She was en route to Cancun, Mexico for a vacation
with friends.
	Family and friends characterized Helmbrecht as a dedicated
physician who suffered extreme pain from her disease, especially in
cold weather, but always showed a cheerful face to her young patients.

	Frank T. Schreck, M.D., worked with Helmbrecht at Orchard Park
Pediatrics where she had practiced since 1990. He told The Buffalo
News that "Because of her condition I told her many times she should
live in Arizona or some other warm climate, but she wouldn't leave
this area. She loved her family, her hometown and her practice."
Helmbrecht was engaged to be married to Kevin Merkel, a computer
worker in Rochester.
	A graduate of Canisius College and the Albany Medical College
of Union University, Helmbrecht was an assistant attending physician
at Children's Hospital. She was a member of the Buffalo Pediatrics
Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Survivors include her
parents, Ernest and Barbara Helmbrecht of the City of Tonawanda; two
brothers, Marcus and Gary, both of Spotsylvania, Va.; and her
grandmother, Erika Prade of Lippstade, Germany.