For months, a doctor from Upper Austria was threatened with murder by radical Covid deniers. In the end, in desperation, she committed suicide. Her funeral will now be secret. The account of a tragedy that could have been prevented.
On the floor is a bouquet of flowers, next to it are a few grave candles. The latest indications that a tragedy has taken place behind this door on the first floor of an apartment complex in Seewalchen am Attersee.
The gruesome end of a public drama
In this operation, which is partially visible through the aisle window. Everything in white, with stylish ornaments on the walls and designer armchairs in the waiting area. The treatment room behind Dr. Lisa-Maria Kellermayr – former patients know – furnished in the same style. Extremely light, extremely modern.
Three letters for an act of desperation
Here, in this apparently positive atmosphere, the GP sat down at her desk sometime on July 28 and wrote three letters on the computer:
One in which she thanked ex-health minister Rudi Anschober, Linz psychiatrist Heidi Kastner and BVT boss Omar Haijawi-Pirchner for their understanding. One in which she honored the achievements of her employees. One in which she accused the medical association and the police of Upper Austria for failing in her case – thereby sharing the blame for what was about to happen. The 36-year-old then retired to her panic room – a soundproofed room that could barely be broken open from the outside. And committed suicide there. The gruesome end of a public drama.
Unheard cries for help, late investigations
Lisa-Maria Kellermayr has been tirelessly talking in interviews and on social media for many months – about death threats from right-wing corona deniers via email, telegram and Twitter to her; about their fear that the announcements could become reality; about the unwillingness of the authorities to help her in her need.
And, of course, the woman’s psychological state—which somehow seemed strong despite her claimed weakness—was steadily deteriorating. How immense her pain must have been is only clear after her suicide.
Thousands of people were there when she was commemorated in memories in half of Austria. The call for stricter laws against online hate is now very loud. The persecutors of the woman must now be discovered and punished for their actions; There are proceedings against a man from Bavaria.
Expressions of grief from people who were in contact with the doctor and – according to their self-incrimination – would not have recognized the extent of their suffering, can be read in an endless loop on Facebook & Co. Who was Lisa-Maria Kellermayr, what was her story? She grew up in sheltered conditions in a small town in the Wels district; with three younger siblings.
A good child, a diligent student
Lisa was very empathetic from an early age. Villagers remember her picking up injured birds and hedgehogs from the streets and rehabilitating them at home. “Even in elementary school, her dream was to become a doctor,” her father says.
And she diligently pursued her great goal. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in medicine; worked in call centers to self-finance her studies. She completed her rotation in a rehabilitation clinic. And since her early childhood she has also worked for the Red Cross. “She never really had any free time,” says a former colleague, “she was just a workaholic.”
She rarely went out and spent her weekends—other than going to church, she was very religious—reading professional literature. In private she ‘allowed only one passion’: she was a fan of the German socially critical satirists Joko and Klaas, and sometimes even traveled to their shows. One thing is certain: almost everyone who knew Lisa-Maria Kellermayr liked her. Because of her friendly nature, her willingness to help. Nevertheless: friends, real friends – she hardly had any. Because her job, her calling, left no room for it. Which, of course, condemned her to loneliness. What made you sometimes doubt the meaning of your existence?
Their achievements went unnoticed
That, as strange as it may sound, made a lot of sense – with Corona. Suddenly she was “really needed” – after she followed a call from the Medical Association, which was looking for doctors to care for infected people. From then on she worked up to 80 hours a week; in her meager spare time she immersed herself in scientific articles about the plague.
Already at the beginning of the pandemic, she advocated the use of asthma sprays in the treatment of infected people, and later for vaccination. She started tweeting about her findings and talking about it in YouTube videos. Yes, she was actually a pioneer in the fight against the virus.
Which initially – apart from Covid deniers – hardly anyone noticed. Conclusion: The attacks against them became more and more massive, as their advice seeped into the World Wide Web. Her educational efforts initially garnered her only negative reactions.
frustration and disappointment
And she was frustrated when the drugs she had been taking for a long time were popularized by famous virologists in the summer of 2020. “Why isn’t my experience with it listed?” She complained on social media: “Because I’m a woman and young?” Despite her deep disappointment, she did not give up. In their urge to do good.
Fall 2021: Lisa-Maria Kellermayr saw a report on a private TV station about a “corona demo” whose participants – the report claimed – would impede emergency vehicles entering a hospital. The doctor then wrote a critical post. Like so many before.
The likely beginning of a catastrophe
But this caused a general excitement – for the first time. Because the authorities denied their statements. What a mega shit storm started against them. The woman turned to the police, officials explained to her that “expressions of displeasure” on the Internet should not be taken so seriously; the medical association pointed to hundreds of vaccinators facing similar attacks. The woman felt abandoned; but at the same time she tried to mobilize her strength. So she didn’t give up. In their urge to do good. With the task ahead of her.
“I’m going to be a country doctor!” she announced in November of the previous year with a happy smiley face on Facebook. She had already carefully selected the furniture for her surgery. Everything must be brand new, the future beautiful. She only hired women, before the opening she went along “for fun, for team building” in an escape room. In retrospect, it seems like this action was a premonition of something bad.
The fact is that, as she became self-employed, the attacks on her increased and became even more horrific. There was still no outside help. Whereupon she had a room converted into an escape room, a panic room, and hired security. Because she didn’t want to give up. In their urge to do good.
“She was the best doctor I’ve ever been to”
Patients talk about different experiences with her. “She was a great doctor,” says a woman from Seewalcher: “She managed to determine the cause of my mysterious rash.” One man, on the other hand, says: “I felt uncomfortable with her. Because a guard was present during my treatment.”
His visit took place in the spring of 2022; at a time when women were under almost unbearable pressure. She had now spent 100,000 euros on security measures and was in danger of financial collapse. Also always on her mind: the threat of mass execution in her practice. At the end of June, Lisa-Maria Kellermayr stopped her ordination work. Because she is currently unable to protect her employees and patients from blood crime.
In the last few weeks of her life, she was almost exclusively in her panic room, rarely leaving it to run errands; According to locals, her fear of being robbed was obvious: “She was constantly observing the area.”
Somehow, she didn’t give up. In their urge to do good. Somewhere again. She did not give up hope and spoke to journalists about her situation.
A secret funeral
“My daughter really appreciated the articles about her fate in the ‘Krone’,” says the woman’s father. “And your newspaper reported her suicide exactly as she would have liked.” Her funeral will take place in secret. Fearing that her enemies could disrupt the funeral ceremonies, “It must finally be quiet, for her and for us. Lisa-Maria Kellermayr’s mother is now a target of radicals. Inhumane messages are now being typed under her Facebook- messages.
The doctor is said to have written in one of her suicide notes: “I am leaving a bad world.” In her drive to do good, she felt a failure. It shouldn’t have come to this.
If you or a loved one is in a special psychological situation or has suicidal thoughts, please contact the pastoral care by telephone on telephone number 142. You can find other crisis telephones and emergency numbers. HERE.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
