A Boston family was left devastated after a young mother who was a successful athlete abruptly died of flu despite having no history of health issues.
Price Merepol McMahon, 36, from Wellesley, Massachusetts, died on Tuesday in a hospital where doctors called her a “one-in-a-million case of influenza”.
McMahon was preparing to compete in her first Boston Marathon and ran almost 13kms to prepare for the race just two days before her death.
Her health suddenly declined on Monday evening when started feeling feverish and she died by Tuesday afternoon, reported the Boston Globe.
She was rushed to the hospital after complaining of trouble breathing.
Her oldest brother, Ian Meropol, said: “The doctor’s words, I’ll always remember this. This is a one-in-a-million case of influenza.’”
“She was always incredibly smart, hardworking, driven, she was the one that everyone knew would be successful,” he said.
Her family said McMahon had no underlying health condition and was a sports enthusiast, skiing playing tennis, and even completing the New York City Marathon in under four hours.
The flu is typically dangerous to young children and elderly people while other adults only have risk if they have underlying health problems, such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The annual virus has reemerged this year after laying dormant for much of the Covid pandemic. Experts have described this flu season as the worst since the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic.
Annually, roughly 12,000 to 50,000 die from complications after getting sick from the flu. This year influenza cases emerged weeks earlier than normal, infecting people at rates not seen before January, the state’s health official said earlier this month.
The severity of flu has been categorised as “very high” and 4.3 per cent of hospitalisations have been blamed on influenza in the latest weekly flu report.
McMahon spent Sunday at her parent’s house where they celebrated Hanukkah and cheered for Argentina’s victory in the World Cup final.
She leaves behind her husband of nine years, Jimmy, and their children, seven-year-old Rosie and five-year-old James. The family has set up a GoFundMe to help them navigate an “unexpected” loss. It has raised $159,173 as of Thursday morning.
Her brother said an open house is planned to take place Friday from 10am to 5pm, and they are expecting a number of guests which would be “a true testament to Price” and her impact.
