Woman, 22, dies after getting swine flu

By SHARON COOLIDGE

CINCINNATI — An Oxford woman who recently graduated from Miami University died here early Wednesday after falling ill with the H1N1 flu virus last week.

Kimberly Young, who would have turned 23 Sunday, died surrounded by her parents and other family members.

Young’s health rapidly deteriorated despite doctor’s predictions that the illness had been caught in time.

“The doctor and the staff in the intensive care unit did their best, but they couldn’t get ahead of it,” said Young’s mother, Cathy Young. “They worked on her all night, but her heart kept stopping.

The Ohio Department of Health said it is too early to confirm the death as H1N1-related, but the department is aware of it.

Young had asthma, but it is undetermined if that was a contributing factor.

If the death is confirmed as H1N1, also known as the swine flu, Young will be the fourth person in Ohio to die from it and the fourth in the region.

An unidentified Butler County man in his 40s died June 29, and Dearborn County siblings Matt and Mindy McIntosh,19 and 26, died in July.

Miami University alerted students to Young’s death Wednesday afternoon.

Cathy Young, 45, talked about her daughter from her Wayne, Ohio, home, stopping at times to cry for the vibrant girl who embraced life. Young toured Europe after spending a sophomore semester in France and sent home pictures of herself hang-gilding in the Swiss Alps.

Young was an A student in high school, then went on to Miami University, where she had a double major in international studies and art, with minors in French and Spanish. She also spoke Japanese.

Young graduated in December but hadn’t yet found a job — her only criteria was that she wanted to work in a job where she could help people.

She worked at the coffee shop, Kofenya; Bill’s Art Store; and a bagel shop.

Young visited her parents in Wayne two weekends ago, leaving with no sign of the flu, Cathy Young said. She fell ill last Tuesday, telling her mother she felt bad and was achy. Last Thursday, Young went to a care center, where she learned she had H1N1 flu.

The doctor ordered rest and fluids. Then Tuesday morning, she had difficulty breathing. Her roommate hustled her off to a nearby hospital.

Young had pneumonia, Cathy Young said.

See also: H1N1 flu vaccines available sooner?