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ABC News Reporter Dr. Jamie Zimmerman Drowns in Freak Accident While on Vacation in Hawaii

Dr. Jamie Zimmerman
Dr. Jamie Zimmerman, an ABC News reporter, drowned while on vacation in Hawaii on Monday, Oct. 12

Jamie Zimmerman, who worked as a doctor and reporter for ABC News, died while on vacation in Hawaii on Monday, Oct. 12. She was 31.

Her mother, Jordan Zimmerman, confirmed her death in a Facebook post on Monday, writing on Jamie's page that she had "slipped on some rocks at the mouth of Lumahai River" on the island of Kauai and was swept out to sea. "Life guards and paramedics rushed to rescue Jamie," her mother continued, "but were not able to resuscitate her."

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Jamie researched stories for ABC's medical unit and offered mediation sessions for news staff in New York, according to ABC News President James Goldston, who told staff of her death in a note on Thursday, Oct. 15.

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Under a smiling picture that Jamie posted on Facebook earlier on Monday, Jordan wrote that her daughter's accomplishments included helping Congolese refugees in Zambia, volunteering in a hospital in India, building classrooms in Uganda, and working with indigenous people on the Amazon in Peru. She also served as a United Nations Global Health representative in Haiti.

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"My little girl was always trying to do too much," Jordan added. "She wanted to write books and already had a literary agent. She just couldn't stop taking on more. It's as if she knew her time was limited and she was trying to fit it all in!"

Her mother hopes that Jamie's life will inspire people to make the world a better place. "It can be as little as sharing a smile or kind word or as big as your imagination and effort will allow," she wrote. "This is Jamie's legacy."

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