It’s a truth we often take for granted: the flu is usually something you shake off. You get a fever, aches, maybe a cough, and after a week or two, you’re back on your feet. For most people, most of the time, this is thankfully the reality. But for a devastating few, this common virus takes a sudden, shocking turn, leading to tragedy that no one saw coming, sometimes within just days or even hours of the first sniffle.
We’re hearing stories this season that underscore the brutal, unpredictable potential of influenza, particularly when it strikes seemingly healthy, young individuals. These aren’t just statistics; they are vibrant lives abruptly ended, leaving behind stunned families and communities grappling with unimaginable loss. Their experiences are a stark reminder that the flu, while often mild, can be a swift and deadly force.
Just before last Christmas, Price Meropol McMahon, a 36-year-old resident of Wellesley, Massachusetts, was the picture of health and vitality. An executive, a mom of two, and a sub-4-hour marathoner, her brother, Ian Meropol, told the Boston Globe that she had “no history of health issues.” Her Sunday included an eight-mile run, cheering for Argentina in the World Cup final, and celebrating the first day of Hanukkah with her family – a perfectly normal, active day.
Yet, merely two days later, she had died from complications stemming from the flu. The shift was incredibly rapid; she began feeling feverish on Monday night and was rushed to the hospital with difficulty breathing early Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, she was gone. Her doctor described her case to her brother as a “one-in-a-million case,” a devastating anomaly. Adding to the shock, her family told Insider that Ms. McMahon had been vaccinated, just like every year of her adult life.
This heartbreaking loss leaves behind her husband, Jimmy, of nearly 10 years, and their two young children, 5-year-old James and 7-year-old Rosalie. A GoFundMe account was set up to help the McMahon family deal “with the many different aspects of their lives that are the unfortunate result of Price’s untimely and unexpected passing,” as the page states. Ian Meropol shared their family’s focus moving forward, telling the Boston Globe, “Everything we are doing from now on is about Rosie, James, and Jimmy.” He added, “That’s what our life is going to be dedicated to, forever,” a powerful testament to their enduring love and commitment.
Another life tragically cut short was that of Katie Denise Oxley Thomas, a 40-year-old mother of three from California. She was described as an avid runner who enjoyed being active and appeared happy and healthy when she celebrated the New Year with friends. But the swift progression of her illness was startling; just two days later, while getting her children ready to visit their father, she developed a fever and a sore throat.
She sought medical attention, visiting her doctor, who diagnosed her with influenza and recommended that she rest at home. However, her condition worsened dramatically within 24 hours. She developed difficulty breathing and was taken to the emergency room at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, California. Initially, physicians again recommended that she return home to recover, but later that night, her struggle to breathe intensified, prompting her boyfriend to drive her back to the hospital.
Doctors scanned her lungs and found she had pneumonia, quickly placing her on a ventilator. Early the next morning, she went into septic shock. “It was very, very fast,” her sister, Amber Oxley, a fashion designer from Brooklyn, shared with PEOPLE. The family was told they should bring her children in, a moment that served as a stark “real wake-up call that she may not survive.” Ms. Oxley added, “None of us expected to hear that at all,” capturing the suddenness of the crisis.
By sunset on January 4, just two days after her initial flu diagnosis, Ms. Thomas was pronounced dead. Her sister painted a vivid picture of the person she lost: “Katie was very energetic, full of life, and was always the life of the party.” She emphasized, “She had so much energy. She just turned 40 and was very fit. She just loved running, and had recently gotten into yoga and pilates.” Amber Oxley reiterated, “She was an extremely healthy person, and there weren’t any warning signs at all. She was a really awesome mom and loved her kids to pieces.” The family was unsure if Ms. Thomas had received a flu vaccination, and an autopsy was planned to help determine this. Her death occurred during a particularly deadly flu season in California, where at least 27 individuals younger than 65 had died from the virus since October.
Despite their profound grief, the family holds no “hard feelings” toward the doctors who initially saw Ms. Thomas. Her sister expressed a hope that others experiencing flu-like symptoms will advocate for more extensive tests from doctors to identify the specific strain of flu and check for pneumonia. Amber Oxley conveyed the depth of their sorrow and shock, saying, “I’m just sad. I’m just really, really sad.” She admitted, “I’m a paranoid mess. It’s terrifying that something so contagious can be so dangerous.” The speed of her passing remained hard to comprehend: “It feels so crazy that she could die so quickly. We’re really sad, and we’re really going to miss her.”
The devastating speed at which flu can turn fatal was also painfully evident in the loss of Linda Simkins Stagg, a 59-year-old mother from Glen Allen, Virginia. Her daughter, Heather Stagg, 28, shared that her mother’s death resulted from complications from the flu. “They said that the flu had triggered the double pneumonia, which then triggered the septic shock because her body just couldn’t fight it off,” Heather explained, mourning the loss of her “best friend.”
Linda was described by her family as a healthy person who consistently received her annual flu shot. Her husband, Jim Stagg, stated, “She was never sick [usually].” The timeline of her illness and death was incredibly compressed; on Saturday morning, she went to the hospital and tragically died that same Saturday night. Jim Stagg recounted the swift decline: “She was there every day for four days” (when he was in the hospital with emphysema). On Wednesday, Linda began feeling unwell, complaining of a sore throat. On Thursday, she said her throat was worsening. On Friday, she spent the day lying down, and despite not having a fever, she continued feeling bad, prompting their hospital visit.
At the hospital, she tested positive for the flu. Within hours, her condition worsened dramatically. “Three hours in the emergency room, all of a sudden they said they had to take her to the ICU,” Jim said. By 10:30 p.m. Saturday, he had lost his wife of many years. “It killed my wife,” Jim said, heartbroken. “I mean, she was 59 years old.” Driven by this profound loss, Jim Stagg wants everyone to understand the critical importance of seeking medical attention promptly if they feel sick, urging, “I don’t want anybody else to go through this.”
The same weekend Linda Simkins Stagg died, a seven-year-old boy in Virginia, Kevin Baynes Jr., also died shortly after being diagnosed with flu and strep throat. He went to the Gretna Emergency Room on Saturday, where doctors diagnosed him and sent him home with medication for strep throat. The following morning, around 8 a.m. on Sunday, his older sister discovered him unresponsive in bed. If confirmed, this would mark the first child in Virginia whose death this season is attributed to the flu. Both Linda Simkins Stagg and Kevin Baynes Jr.’s deaths occurred within 24 hours, or even less, of their initial hospital or doctor visits, highlighting the terrifying speed at which the virus can progress in some individuals.
The stories continue, each one a punch to the gut. Kyler Baughman, a 21-year-old college student in Pittsburgh, was outwardly healthy and active, even posting pictures of himself at the gym. Yet, he died unexpectedly in December after a bout with the flu. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner reported the cause of his death as influenza, septic shock, and multiple organ failure, tragically illustrating how even a young, robust person can succumb rapidly.
These cases, while thankfully not the norm, demonstrate that the flu is far more than just a bad cold; it can escalate quickly to life-threatening complications. Experts explain how this happens. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, noted that while influenza and its complications disproportionately affect people 65 and older, accounting for 80% of deaths, young children and individuals with underlying illnesses like heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes are also susceptible. But he also spoke about the terrifying speed seen in cases like those above.
He described three primary ways adults can die from the flu. The most common route is pneumonia, an infection that causes the lungs’ air sacs to fill with fluid or pus. This is typically a “long, drawn-out process” that occurs after a person gets influenza and experiences inflammation in their chest. However, flu can also be fatal for more unusual reasons, often involving the body’s own response.
Flu triggers an immune response in everyone, producing symptoms like fever, aches, and exhaustion as the body’s “soldiers” fight the virus. Dr. Schaffner explained that for some, this natural response becomes “overwhelming,” potentially leading to what is called a “cytokine storm.” Cytokines, proteins created during the inflammatory response, can create a devastating “storm” in the body. This cytokine storm, he noted, “can actually lead to sepsis in a person,” illustrating how flu “can also take a perfectly healthy person and put them in the ER in 24 to 48 hours.” Sepsis itself is a severe condition; the CDC states that each year, more than 1.5 million people in the United States experience sepsis, resulting in over 250,000 deaths.
Beyond respiratory and immune system overreactions, the flu can also impact the cardiovascular system. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at nearly 20,000 flu cases in Ontario adults aged 35 or older and found that the chances of a heart attack are increased sixfold during the first seven days after a flu infection. Dr. Jeff Kwong, lead author of the study, noted that the risk might be higher for older adults, theorizing that infectious illness may cause inflammation, stress, and constriction of blood vessels, which increases blood pressure. The study, which identified 364 hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction among the flu cases, also showed a stronger association for influenza B than for influenza A.
Children face their own specific vulnerabilities when it comes to the flu. While the overwhelming majority—99%—of children under age 5 who die from flu-related illness are in developing countries, children in developed nations are still at risk, particularly from sepsis resulting from the flu, according to Dr. Flor M. Munoz, an associate professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine. She identified infants in the first year of life and those under 5 as the most worrisome age groups, noting that children have many opportunities to be exposed to and spread the flu, often being the first to get sick each season.
Dr. Munoz highlighted that children “can be completely healthy and still have problems with the flu.” The flu shot, while vital, may not offer the same level of protection as it does for adults in very young children due to their lack of “immunologic experience” and still-developing immune systems. This is also true, she noted, for very old people. A significant concern when young children or infants show flu symptoms, including fever, is the possibility of a more serious concurrent infection. Dr. Munoz explained, “Young children at that age can have meningitis, pneumonia, bacterial infections, not necessarily flu-related.” Secondary bacterial infections, such as ear infections, sinusitis, or pneumonia, are also common because the flu irritates the nose and throat, leaving children exposed to more germs while their immune system is already fighting the virus. When the immune system is overwhelmed by fighting both the flu and a bacterial infection, sepsis can result, leading to the rapid deaths of “previously healthy children who don’t feel well and in a day or two they die of some complication,” the kinds of cases we often hear about in the news. Additionally, children are more prone to diarrhea and vomiting with the flu, which can cause life-threatening dehydration in infants and small children.
These stories underline why health officials and medical professionals universally recommend getting vaccinated. The CDC states that annual influenza vaccination is recommended for everyone older than 6 months who doesn’t have a specific medical condition that prevents it. While it’s true the vaccine isn’t perfect—Ms. McMahon and Emma Splan, both vaccinated, tragically died—experts stress its critical benefits. Dr. E. Vincent Faustino, who was part of Emma Splan’s care team, acknowledged, “The vaccine is not perfect. Emma got the vaccine.” But he powerfully countered vaccine reluctance: “But if we don’t vaccinate, we’re going to see a lot more children having complications of the flu. A lot of parents think that the flu is a nuisance … In reality, people can die from the flu.”
Parents like Christy Pugh, Emma Splan’s mother, have become passionate advocates for vaccination, even after it didn’t protect her daughter. She explains her continued belief in the shot with a poignant analogy: “And I guess the reason is similar to why people still use seat belts even though people die in car accidents … You’re better equipped with a seat belt on to survive the crash.” It’s about increasing your odds against a potentially devastating threat. Dr. Schaffner echoed this, stating that even if you get the flu after vaccination, “it’s likely the illness is less severe,” adding, “Data show you’re less likely to get pneumonia and less likely to die.”
The CDC outlines several key benefits of getting the flu shot: it helps prevent you from getting sick, reduces the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for people of all ages (children, working-age adults, and older adults), acts as a preventive tool for those with chronic health conditions, protects pregnant women, and reduces the severity of illness if you do get sick despite vaccination. Crucially, getting vaccinated also helps protect vulnerable people around you, like babies, young children, the elderly, and those with health conditions, who are at higher risk for serious complications. It’s a community effort.
It’s a myth that the flu shot can give you the flu; it cannot. While some might experience mild side effects like arm soreness, slight fatigue, or a headache, these are temporary and far less severe than the flu itself. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to provide protection, which is why getting vaccinated before flu season starts in October is ideal, but health officials emphasize it’s never too late to get vaccinated during the season.
Beyond vaccination, experts and grieving families urge prompt medical attention if you or a loved one develops flu symptoms, especially for high-risk individuals or if symptoms worsen quickly. Dr. Faustino stressed, “A large number of patients who die from the flu don’t reach the hospital,” adding, “People don’t realize the flu can be fatal.” While most otherwise healthy people may not need antiviral drugs, Dr. Lynnette Brammer, head of the CDC’s Domestic Flu Surveillance team, noted they are a second line of defense for those at high risk: the elderly, children under 2, pregnant women, and people with chronic health problems. These drugs work best when started within two days of getting sick and can reduce symptoms and shorten illness duration by one or two days.
This flu season has been characterized by health experts as “brisk” and is expected to be “moderately severe.” Dr. Michael Stevens, Associate Chair in the Division of Infectious Diseases at VCU Medical Center, noted more widespread activity than seen since the H1N1 pandemic in 2009. He also mentioned a circulating “particularly nasty version of the virus called H3N2,” which can be “particularly hard on the elderly and young kids.” While this season’s vaccine effectiveness against H3N2 is estimated to be around 30%, doctors like Dr. Stevens and pediatricians maintain that the vaccine remains the best way to lessen the virus’s severity.
The personal stories of Price McMahon, Katie Thomas, Linda Simkins Stagg, Kevin Baynes Jr., Kyler Baughman, Emma Splan, Alice Jones, and Leon Sidari are tragic exclamation points on the vital message about the flu’s potential severity. Alice Jones, a 29-year-old aspiring nurse and mother of three in Dallas, also died just days after getting sick with the flu alongside her husband, Darrell. Neither had been vaccinated that year. Darrell, an Army veteran who survived Afghanistan, found this domestic loss particularly cruel. “I made it through Afghanistan and thought we would move on with our lives,” he said, lamenting, “I was thinking that was the most dangerous part of our marriage.” After Alice’s death, doctors insisted their children be checked and vaccinated, and one son tested positive. “If that didn’t happen, maybe my son would have died, as well,” Darrell shared, the thought of losing his wife and son nearly unbearable: “I don’t know what I would have done if it was my wife and son.” He is now urging others to get their flu shots. Alice’s death, attributed to strains A and B, brought the total flu deaths in Dallas County to 17 at the time.
Leon Sidari, a vibrant 4-year-old from Ohio, was another child lost far too soon. His mother, Laura Sidari, a doctor herself, shared his story to implore other families to vaccinate their children. Leon was a normal, healthy boy who rarely got sick, full of life and love for his younger brothers. He developed typical flu symptoms the day after winter break began, experiencing muscle aches and a fever. His parents, both doctors, had planned to get their family vaccinated but had put it off amid the busy holiday season, with an appointment scheduled just days later. “Every season, my kids have been vaccinated, but it just slipped through the cracks,” Laura admitted. Despite her medical background and being a strong proponent of vaccination, she stated, “I was not aware of the severe risk that influenza can pose to healthy people and healthy children.”
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On Christmas Eve, Leon’s health rapidly deteriorated, and he began having trouble breathing, leading his parents to rush him to the emergency room. He was diagnosed with influenza and bacterial pneumonia. Tragically, hours later, early on Christmas morning, Leon was dead. “We didn’t see it coming,” Laura Sidari shared, the suddenness compounded by the fact that they expected him to come home; his pajamas were still by his bedside. She now powerfully advocates for vaccination, telling InsideEdition.com, “That number doesn’t seem like a lot until it’s your child.” Highlighting the CDC data that vaccination can reduce the risk of hospitalization from flu-related illnesses by up to 82 percent, she tearfully stated, “I would give anything as a mother for that [chance].” Her urgent message is clear: “You can’t wait for medical care — you have to prevent [the flu].”
The CDC estimates that annual flu epidemics result in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness globally and cause between 290,000 and 650,000 deaths worldwide. In the U.S., over 200,000 Americans are hospitalized each year because of the flu, contributing to deaths that range from hundreds to tens of thousands depending on the season. Flu and pneumonia combined were the eighth leading cause of death in 2016. This season, the CDC reported 11,965 laboratory-confirmed flu-related hospitalizations from October 1 to January 20 alone. The number of actual infections is believed to be much higher as many people don’t see a doctor or aren’t tested. As of the reporting period, the CDC had reported six pediatric deaths this season, with one expert noting that around 100 American children die from the flu each year. Twenty states reported high numbers of people seeking outpatient treatment for the flu in a recent week, and the 2009 H1N1 virus continued to be the most common strain.
Dr. Richard Besser, ABC’s chief health and medical editor, reacted to the news of Alice Jones’ death with sadness, noting, “Each year thousands of people die from the flu.” While acknowledging that most recover, he stressed, “Still, it is worth doing all you can to reduce the chances that you will get the flu.” His advice mirrors CDC recommendations: “This includes getting vaccinated (it’s not too late), washing your hands frequently and practicing the behaviors you’d like others to follow: Cover your cough with your elbow or a tissue and stay home from work if you are sick.” This, he believes, “should help keep those around you healthier.”
In recent years, the CDC has broadened its recommendations, now urging all Americans 6 months and older to get a flu shot annually. Children under 9 receiving their first flu vaccination should receive two doses, spaced a month apart. Despite these recommendations, some families, particularly younger ones, still skip the vaccine, often due to myths or the belief that they are too healthy to be affected. Dr. Andrew Eisenberg, a medical adviser for Families Fighting the Flu, noted, “There are a lot of myths out there.” He added, “They think they are going to get the shot and get the flu,” and “Second, especially the younger ones, think, ‘Other people need it more than me. I am healthy and it won’t affect me.'” The tragic stories we’ve explored here shatter that dangerous misconception.
The echoes of loss from these families serve as a powerful call to action for all of us. They remind us that flu is an opponent that demands respect and preparation. While we cannot eliminate risk entirely, we can significantly stack the odds in our favor and protect those around us by understanding the science behind the illness, heeding the advice of medical professionals, and taking the simple, proven step of getting vaccinated. The memory of these vibrant lives, tragically cut short, should inspire us to prioritize this crucial aspect of public health, ensuring that fewer families have to endure such sudden, devastating loss.
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