Investigators Examine High School Baseball Star's Death

[Chuck]

http://www.wisn.com/health/19888291/detail.html

Investigators Examine High School Baseball Star's Death

POSTED: 10:45 pm CDT June 28, 2009

KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. -- Health investigators are looking into the death of Bradford High School baseball star Sam Schissel to determine whether or not it is related to H1N1.

Wisconsin officially has four H1N1 flu deaths, three in Milwaukee and one in Wausau. Tests will determine whether the death of the healthy Kenosha County teenager is the state?s fifth.

?We were lucky to have him for 18 years, and he impacted so many lives,? Sam?s father, Jim Schissel said.

Jim Schissel said Sam had been sick for about 10 days and appeared to be recovering when Saturday morning he stopped breathing. He died the day before his 19th birthday.

?We're all trying to cope with what shouldn't have happened,? Jim Schissel said.

Sam was a star baseball player at Bradford High School in Kenosha, pitching for the team when they won a state championship in 2008. He went to the University of Minnesota and transferred to Carthage College. Jim Schissel said Sam hoped to one day be drafted by a Major League baseball team.

?He was an extremely good competitor and he'd always want to ball in a big game,? Jim Schissel said.

Jim Schissel said his son was the picture of health before developing flu like symptoms that developed into pneumonia.

An autopsy will determine what happened but Jim Schissel said he's wondered if it was the H1N1 flu.

Three of the people who've died from H1N1 in Wisconsin had pneumonia and the fourth had pneumonia-like symptoms.

?My gut feeling is they are going to look into it,? Jim Schissel said. For now the family is focused on dealing with their sudden loss.

?A lot of people have missed him already and that is comforting to in it's own way,? Jim Schissel said. ?I cant even tell you how many calls to both his mother and me and that's made this a little bit easier.?

The Kenosha hospital said they have forwarded the case along to the Kenosha County Medical Examiner?s office and they will perform and autopsy.

Copyright 2009 by WISN.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[thebes]

Re: Investigators Examine High School Baseball Star's Death

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/49389317.html

19-year-old who died had flu-like symptoms
By Tom Kertscher of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Jun. 28, 2009

A former Kenosha high school baseball star who died Saturday reportedly had suffered flu- or pneumonia-like symptoms and had been given antibiotics by a doctor.

Sam Schissel became unresponsive at his family's home in Somers and was taken by ambulance to Kenosha Medical Center, the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department said Sunday.

Schissel's mother said a doctor had given her son antibiotics, a hospital spokeswoman said. The treatment was given a day or perhaps a couple of days before Schissel's death, the spokeswoman said.

Schissel would have turned 19 Sunday, the spokeswoman said.

Schissel was a first-team all-state pitcher last year as a senior at Kenosha Bradford High School. He was the winning pitcher when Bradford won the state high school championship game.

Schissel won a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Minnesota, but transferred to Carthage College in Kenosha during his freshman year.

An autopsy will be performed Monday, Kenosha County Medical Examiner Mark Witeck said.

------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/49393007.html

Former High School Baseball Star Dies Unexpectedly
By Tom Murray
KENOSHA - A former Bradford High School baseball star died Saturday after what seemed like a minor bout with the flu.

Sam Schissel would have turned 19-years-old Sunday. Instead of celebrating his birthday, a large network of friends, family, teammates and fans is mourning his death.

Schissel pitched the entire 2008 WIAA championship game to lead his school to its first state baseball title.

?It's my senior year,? he said in a TV interview after that victory. ?What a way to go out."

The cause of his death is still a mystery. Schissel was still in good athletic condition, anticipating playing at Carthage College or Madison Area Technical College next season. He felt healthy less than two weeks ago.

"He was so young,? said former teammate Pete Djurickobic. ?He was such an energetic kid and a fun guy."

Word of Schissel?s death spread quickly over the weekend by phone calls, text messages and social networking sites.

"He kept it loose on the ball field,? remembers former teammate Jon Atkins. ?Yet, he was one of the fiercest competitors I ever played with or against."

Players and coach Matt LaBuda met TODAY?S TMJ4 at Bradford?s diamond where Number 22 stood out for so many games.

"I just want kids to know, enjoy every minute you've got,? said LaBuda. ?You never know."

Over the last 10 days, Schissel turned down friends when they asked him to hang out. He felt sick and tired. A doctor treated and released Schissel for dehydration on Friday.

It came as a complete shock when Sam collapsed and died at his mother's lakefront home Saturday morning.

Sam's father, Jim Schissel, said the family agreed to an autopsy. They hope to discover what claimed the life of a son and brother.

"This happens to be a sickness and we want to know what happened. Hopefully, we'll get some answers,? said Jim Schissel. "It's not the natural order of things. A parent should not be burying their child."

The autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

[thebes]

Re: Investigators Examine High School Baseball Star's Death

KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. -- The Kenoshc County medical examiner said Bradford High School baseball star Sam Schissel died of a "viral syndrome that attacked his heart."

It will take weeks to determine what the exact virus was. Doctors will probably never determine why it attacked his heart, Dr. Mark Whiteck told 12 News.

Sam Schissel's death was originally being investigated as a possible H1N1 death.

?We were lucky to have him for 18 years, and he impacted so many lives,? Sam?s father, Jim Schissel, said.

Jim Schissel said Sam had been sick for about 10 days and appeared to be recovering when Saturday morning he stopped breathing. He died the day before his 19th birthday.

?We're all trying to cope with what shouldn't have happened,? Jim Schissel said.

Sam Schissel was a star baseball player at Bradford High School in Kenosha, pitching for the team when they won a state championship in 2008. He went to the University of Minnesota and transferred to Carthage College. Jim Schissel said Sam hoped to one day be drafted by a major league baseball team.

?He was an extremely good competitor and he'd always want to play ball in a big game,? Jim Schissel said.

Jim Schissel said his son was the picture of health before developing flu-like symptoms that developed into pneumonia.

An autopsy will determine what happened but Jim Schissel said he's wondered if it was the H1N1 virus.

Three of the people who've died from H1N1 in Wisconsin had pneumonia and the fourth had pneumonia-like symptoms.

?My gut feeling is they are going to look into it,? Jim Schissel said. For now the family is focused on dealing with their sudden loss.

?A lot of people have missed him already and that is comforting, too, in its own way,? Jim Schissel said. ?I cant even tell you how many calls to both his mother and me and that's made this a little bit easier.?

http://www.wisn.com/health/19888291/detail.html