ESPN college football reporter, Edward Aschoff died from double pneumonia, weeks after coming down with the flu. He was 34.
Aschoff died Tuesday on his birthday following a “brief illness,” according to ESPN. He was known for his “compassionate” reporting on college football players.
Friends and colleagues of the young reporter said he died from pneumonia after being sickened with the flu.
Aschoff wrote an Instagram post about contracting pneumonia after covering a football game in early December. “Covering #TheGame was a lot of fun. Getting pneumonia … not so much. But, hey, I’m a hockey player,” he wrote.
On Dec. 4, he wrote:
“Having pneumonia is pretty terrible. Like the absolute worst. But it helps having this sweet angel taking care of you even when she’s risking getting this soul-crushing illness herself. All the soup, tea and delicious meals have kept me from crawling into a corner and crying the days away. Love you, babe. Thanks for putting up with my 5 am coughing fits…”
Aschoff and his fiancee, Katy Berteau, planned to marry in April 2020.
On Dec. 5, Aschoff tweeted that he was suffering from pneumonia in multiple lobes of his lungs. He described himself as someone who “never gets sick and has a very good immune system.”
“Anyone ever had multifocal (bilateral) pneumonia in their early 30s as [someone] who never gets sick and has a very good immune system? Asking for two friends … my lungs.”
Aschoff’s death shocked his friends and colleagues who shared their grief on social media.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta reports the widespread flu epidemic has killed nearly 2,000 people this flu season.
A new, unusual strain of the flu can make even healthy people vulnerable to common bacteria and virus that cause pneumonia.
Socialite Kim Porter, who had three children with hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, 50, died from double pneumonia on Nov. 15, 2018 after suffering with the flu for weeks. She would have turned 49 on Dec. 15.
The CDC estimates there have been at least 3.7 million flu cases this season, 32,000 requiring hospitalization. Over 1,900 people have died, including 19 children.
Doctors urge everyone 6 months and older to get flu shots ahead of the peak flu season, which is January through February in some geographical areas. High-dose flu shots are being marketed to people over 65.
You should call your doctor or healthcare professional as soon as you begin to feel symptoms of the flu and if your symptoms persist for longer than 7 days.
Symptoms include:
People at high risk for the flu are those with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, HIV, the over 65 population, or people with weak immune systems.
Adults with a fever of 102 F or higher and children with a fever of 103 F or higher should see a doctor right away.
A common cold and the flu are caused by different viruses. Learn the difference between a cold and the flu.
