Teenaged boy, from Calgary area, dies of H1N1

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.am770chqr.com/News/Local/...spx?ID=1176453

Teenaged boy, from Calgary area, dies of H1N1
CHQR Newsroom
12/16/2009

Alberta health services is reporting the death of a teenaged boy in the calgary area. They say what separates this case from the majority of other deaths is that there were no underlying health conditions.
Because of privacy issues, Alberta Health can not say much more about the death.
Deputy Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Judy Macdonald, says this should serve as a reminder for people to get the H1N1 vaccine.

[Shiloh]

Re: Teenaged boy, from Calgary area, dies of H1N1

Source: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/healt...271/story.html

Calgary teen becomes Alberta's 65th H1N1 death
By Colette Derworiz, Calgary HeraldDecember 16, 2009 1:31 PM


16 year-old Michael Gorbous

CALGARY - A Calgary youth who was otherwise healthy has died after contracting H1N1, bringing the total number of fatalities related to the new flu strain to 65 in the province, according to local health officials.

Kris Gorbous, who spoke out last month about the importance of getting the H1N1 vaccine, confirmed today that it was his 16-year-old son, Michael, who died. He had been in Foothills Hospital since the end of October in a medically induced coma as he battled H1N1.

Michael died Tuesday.

Both Kris Gorbous and the health region again encouraged Albertans to get vaccinated.

?It?s a sad situation and our condolences certainly go out to the family and friends of this individual,? Judy MacDonald, deputy medical officer of health in Calgary, said at a press conference today. ?It is a reminder though that influenza is with us. H1N1 activity is lower than it was earlier, but it is still happening.

?Your best defence against this infection is to get vaccinated,? she said, noting the boy had no underlying health conditions.

MacDonald said the health region will continue to operate vaccination clinics until Dec. 23 and encouraged all Calgarians to get their H1N1 shot.

A total of 1.1 million Albertas ? including 460,000 Calgarians ? have been vaccinated so far, she said.

There have been 64 deaths related to H1N1 across Alberta. The boy?s death brings that number to 65.

CDERWORIZ@THEHERALD.CANWEST.COM

[Pathfinder]

Re: Teenaged boy, from Calgary area, dies of H1N1

Calgary teen dies of H1N1

Last Updated: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 | 4:14 PM MT

CBC News


Michael Gorbous, a 16-year-old seen here in an undated Facebook photo, died of H1N1, his family said.

Health officials are blaming H1N1 for the death of a Calgary teenager who had no underlying conditions.

The boy died on Tuesday, bringing the total number of people in Alberta who have died of the swine flu virus since April to 65. Another 1,255 have been hospitalized.

The boy's case is unusual since the majority of people who have died or have been hospitalized had known underlying conditions. Also, the median age among those who have died is 48 years old.

Health officials aren't naming the boy. However Fay Gorbous told CBC News her 16-year-old grandson Michael died from the virus on Tuesday.

The family is asking for privacy at this time, she said.

One friend wrote on a Facebook tribute page that Michael won't be forgotten.

"Anyone that knows him would know that he is a great guy and an amazing person to hang out with?He was a legend."

Father urged Albertans to get the shot

Last month, the boy's father spoke to the Calgary Herald about his son, who was at the time in a medically induced coma with pneumonia in both lungs. Kris Gorbous urged people to get the H1N1 vaccination. His son became ill with the virus a few days before the vaccine was available in Alberta.

"I hear a lot of people still questioning if they should get a shot or not. I bring up Michael's case right away," Kris Gorbous told the Herald in late November. "It's imperative that people get the shot."

More than 1 million Albertans have gotten the H1N1 vaccination.
People who have not been vaccinated should get the shot as soon as possible, said Dr. Judy MacDonald, deputy medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services.

"It's a sad situation and our condolences certainly go out to friends and family of this individual. It is a reminder though that influenza is with us. H1N1 activity is lower than it was earlier, but it is still happening," she said.

Alberta's drop-in vaccination clinics for H1N1 will all close before Christmas. Albertans should be able to get the vaccine through doctors and pharmacies instead.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2009/12/16/calgary-death-teenager-h1n1.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Teenaged boy, from Calgary area, dies of H1N1

Related thread: November 27 - Father of flu victim urges shots:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134907

[Shiloh]

Re: Teenaged boy, from Calgary area, dies of H1N1

Source: http://www.legacy.com/CAN-Calgary/Ob...onId=137437121

Michael Gorbous

GORBOUS , Michael June 4, 1993 - December 15, 2009 Michael Gorbous, beloved son of Kris and Heather Gorbous, passed away on December 15, 2009 following a courageous forty-three day battle against complications from H1N1. Michael will be forever missed by his loving sister Lindsay; Grandma and Grandpa (Bob and Arden McMahon); Grandma (Fay Gorbous); Aunties: Kari, Kandis and Leah (Bill), as well as cousins: Kiel (Sheri), Kole, Taylor, Kandace and Karli. Michael was predeceased by his Grandpa Glen Gorbous in 1990. Mike will be best remembered by those who knew him for his kind and gentle spirit. He had a heart of gold and a sense of humour that will never be forgotten. The Gorbous family thanks the staff at the Foothills Hospital ICU, with special thanks to Dr. Paul Boucher and Dr. Sean McFadden. A Celebration of Mike's life will be held at CALGARY CREMATORIUM CHAPEL, 3219 - 4 Street N.W., (within the valley of Queen's Park Cemetery) on Monday, December 21, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to Calgary Health Trust - Foothills Medical Center Cardiovascular ICU Unit 94, Suite 800, 11012 Macleod Trail S.E., Calgary, AB T2J 6A5 (Telephone 403-943-0615). To email expressions of sympathy: ccl@hffs.com, subject heading: Michael Gorbous.HERITAGE FUNERAL SERVICES "Calgary Crematorium Chapel" Telephone: 403-299-0111.

[Pathfinder]

Re: Teenaged boy, from Calgary area, dies of H1N1

Family mourns teen killed by H1N1

By MICHAEL PLATT, QMI Agency

The Calgary Sun

CALGARY - He's the 16-year-old statistic nobody wants to think about -- a healthy teen, killed by a flu that's no longer in vogue as a topic of fear and frenzy.

Before he died Tuesday, after more than a month in a coma, Mike Gorbous' family had hoped to turn a drawn-out, life-threatening illness into something positive, using the boy's pneumonia and suffering as a warning to others.

Get the vaccine, they said -- don't ignore the medicine that can prevent a flu that's still rampant, even if it's no longer front-page news.

Some listened, but it didn't really work, any more than seven weeks of the best treatment available worked for Mike, a teen with a typical taste for rebellion, video games and loud bands.

"The only important thing now is how hard the staff at the Foothills hospital worked to save him," said Mike's grandma, Fay Gorbous.

"They are exceptional people, the doctors and nurses there, and they did everything they possibly could. That's the most important message, if anything."

The same family that was imploring people to get the shot are now laying low, quietly mourning a son who never had an chance to receive the vaccine which might have saved his young life.

"He never had a chance to get the shot," said Fay.

"It's very sad."

When Mike fell ill in late October, there was no vaccine available, though with nothing more serious than a fever, it seemed like a moot point.

But within a week, the Grade 11 student developed chest pains, and in early November he was admitted to Foothills hospital, where he passed away at 4 a.m. Tuesday.

While Mike lay in a coma, the flu went from near-panic to footnote news.

People are still catching it and even dying from it, but denied the plague-like pandemic first forecast, Canadians have stopped caring.

According to Alberta Health Services, there have been 1,255 hospitalized confirmed cases of H1N1 since April.

But the number of new Canadian victims is slowing.

During the week ending Dec. 5, 307 people were hospitalized in Canada, compared to 804 the week before, while 33 people died, compared to 56.

Besides Mike, 18 new fatalities were reported in Canada between Dec. 10 and Dec. 15.

As the number of victims drops, so does public interest, despite warnings a third wave could erupt in the new year.

After allowing seniors, pregnant women and those with illness to get the shot, Alberta and every other province has opened their clinics to all who want a shot, but business is slow.

So few people are now seeking the vaccine, which caused chaotic queues when first available, Health Canada has been forced to go on an advertising blitz across the country.

Yesterday, a full-page ad appeared in this paper, reminding people, "Get the H1N1 flu vaccine."

But the cross-country advertising efforts of Health Canada will pale next to Mike Gorbous' tragic death.

What his parents Kris and Heather tried to do while their son was in a medically induced coma and hooked to a ventilator, will surely be accomplished now that he has lost the fight against the flu.

To see photos of someone so young, a boy peeking out through shaggy hair and the brim of ball cap, is to realize normal, healthy teenagers can still catch H1N1 and die.

If that cold reality doesn't scare people back to the clinics, nothing will.

On Monday, Mike's friend Myles Cronkhite will gather with young mourners in Edworthy Park to release 200 balloons tied together, marked with the names of the people who knew him.

"Mike told me when he died, he wanted me to promise him that I would attach 200 balloons together," wrote Cronkhite, on the Facebook page dedicated to Mike's memory.

The balloons are a moving tribute for a boy taken too young, but Mike's real legacy will be the number of people who seek the vaccine.

Fay says she hopes her grandson's story will convince others to get the vaccine.

"I hope so -- you can only tell people so many times, but they only really understand when it happens to them," said Fay.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/12/17/12185901-sun.html

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Re: Teenaged boy, from Calgary area, dies of H1N1

Balloons released in memory of H1N1 teen

Best friend urges Calgarians to get vaccinated

Last Updated: Monday, December 21, 2009 | 5:51 PM MT

CBC News




Friends released 200 balloons in Edworthy Park on Monday in memory of Mike Gorbous. (CBC)

Friends of a Calgary teenager who died after contracting H1N1 launched colourful balloons into the winter sky on Monday as a tribute.

Michael Gorbous, 16, died earlier this month from the virus. He had no underlying medical conditions like the majority of Albertans who have died from H1N1.

Gorbous's best friend, Myles Chronkite, organized the tribute based on a promise the two boys made to each other a few years ago. They had agreed to release 200 balloons and 1,000 signatures into the air if either of them passed away.

"I never thought I'd be doing this until I was 80 years old. It came too soon," said Chronikite. "[It's] to show that people on earth down here miss him and care about him."

About 30 teens gathered in Edworthy Park on Monday to launch the balloons in their friend's memory.

In light of Gorbous's death, Chronkite urged all Calgarians to get their flu shot.

"It's so important. I mean if you're young and old, or healthy and not healthy, it can still happen to you. I mean, Mike is a prime example. He was 16 and he passed away from H1N1 so it's important to get your shot," he said.

Calgary's mass H1N1 vaccination clinics are scheduled to close at 7 p.m. on Dec. 23, but some doctor's offices and pharmacies now have the vaccine.

Depending on demand, the mass clinics may reopen in the new year, said health officials.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/12/21/calgary-gorbous-teen-h1n1-balloons-tribute.html