Florida Tiphani Corley, 19, dies of swine flu

[Pathfinder]

Tiphani Corley, 19, dies of swine flu
? August 16, 2009


After fighting for her life the past month, Tiphani Corley has lost her battle against swine flu.



The 19-year-old Rockledge High School graduate died late Saturday night at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. Doctors were using a lung bypass machine and ventilator to keep her alive.


?Her stats just went down. Her organs started shutting down,? said Palm Bay resident Denise Klenotich, a family friend. ?She went pretty fast.?


Corley is believed to be Brevard County?s first swine flu fatality.


?I'm sick to my stomach. She hung on for a long time. She's a fighter, and she'll be remembered as a fighter. She's a tough girl,? Klenotich said.

Friends are posting condolences on her Facebook group page, which has more than 2,400 members.


http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090816/BREAKINGNEWS/90816006&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Florida Tiphani Corley, 19, dies of swine flu

Rockledge Teen Dies Of H1N1 Virus
Tiphani Corley Battled Swine Flu Since July
POSTED: 7:08 pm EDT August 16, 2009


ROCKLEDGE, Fla. -- A Central Florida teenager has died from complications from the H1N1 virus.

Tiphani Corley had been battling the virus since July. The 19-year-old lost her battle and died overnight Saturday.

Tom Corley, the Rockledge High School graduate's father, spoke with WESH 2 News Sunday morning.

"It's unreal, just shocking to the family," Corley said.

His daughter spent the last five weeks at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. Her family was hoping for a miracle, despite doctors giving her a 50/50 chance to survive.

"All the way up until the last 12 hours she was communicating and moving her feet and hands and opening her mouth for the nurses," her father said.

Tiphani Corley's family said they watcher her health deteriorate from her bedside.

"We loved her and we thank everybody who went on Facebook and kept up with her, put their prayers in," Tom Corley said.

The teenager's mother used to post on Facebook each night to update her friends on how her daughter was doing. People all around the country, including some who didn't even know the girl, would leave comments.

"It made us feel good," Tom Corley said. "It made us feel strong, you know?"

Tiphani Corley had dreams of being a hair stylist, her family said. She was supposed to graduate from beauty school in December.


http://www.wesh.com/health/20422694/detail.html

 

[GennieF]

Re: Florida Tiphani Corley, 19, dies of swine flu

Teen the first Brevard resident to die of swine flu

BY RICK NEALE Florida Today
Originally published 08:19 a.m., August 17, 2009
Updated 08:19 a.m., August 17, 2009

ROCKLEDGE — After fighting for her life over the past month, Tiphani Corley has lost her battle against swine flu.

The 19-year-old Rockledge High graduate died just before midnight Saturday at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, where doctors had said her odds of survival were barely 50-50.

With two collapsed lungs, she had relied on a bypass machine and a ventilator for survival. Family members were at her bedside when she died.

"Her (medical) stats just went down. Her organs started shutting down," said Palm Bay resident Denise Klenotich, a family friend. "She went pretty fast."

Corley was the first swine flu fatality on the Space Coast, said Dr. Heidar Heshmati, Brevard County's health director.

"I'm sick to my stomach," Klenotich said. "She hung on for a long time. She's a fighter, and she'll be remembered as a fighter. She's a tough girl."

Mourners posted dozens of condolences Sunday on Corley's Facebook group page, which has more than 2,500 members.

Corley worked as an assistant and shampoo girl at Bravado the Salon on U.S. 1 in Rockledge for about three years. She planned to graduate in December from the Academy of Cosmetology on Merritt Island, said Brian Zegles, a stylist at the salon.

"A lot of our clients called her 'Angel Hands' because she was so good with her hands with massages and shampoos," Zegles said.

"She was the type of person that was always smiling, goofy, funny -- she walked into a room and made everyone laugh and smile," he said. "She was a really bubbly personality."

Zegles and his wife, Erica, were so moved by Corley's struggle with swine flu that they founded Her Angel Hands Inc., a charitable group. The nonprofit organization incorporated on July 27, state records show.

Corley initially was admitted to Wuesthoff Medical Center-Melbourne on the Fourth of July after complaining of coughs, headaches and body pains, said her aunt Amy Jenkins of Rockledge.

She was transferred to Holmes Regional Medical Center on July 7, then taken to Gainesville two days later.

Corley's sister, Shelly, died of encephalitis five years ago. "It is devastating to go through this not once, but twice," Jenkins said. "Tiphani was never sick, so none of us ever expected this to happen.

"We're very, very devastated. We knew she was critical. But we started getting hope that she was starting to get better."

HOW TO HELP

A fundraiser to help pay Tiphani Corley's medical bills will be 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Time Out Sports Bar, 1275 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. An auction and raffles are scheduled. Half the bar proceeds will go to Corley's family. Call (321) 302-4797 or (321) 302-3001.

On Sunday, AJ's Candy Castle at The Avenue Viera will donate 30 percent of its gross sales to Corley's family from noon to 6 p.m. Call (321) 504-9983.

Contact Neale at 242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/aug/17/teen-first-brevard-resident-die-swine-flu/

 

[aNewDawn]

Re: Florida Tiphani Corley, 19, dies of swine flu

Would someone please add this young lady's photo to the "U.S. H1N1 Victims" photos at the Flickr site that Appleblossom set up (I would, but I have no skills in this area).
U.S. H1N1 Victims OR http://www.flickr.com/photos/7317809@N06/sets/72157621665951909/detail/

I have found this photo album to be the most effective tool that I can use to bring home the message: This IS real; this is serious! Viewing this album (and looking into the eyes) of those that have lost their lives to pan flu is sobering to anyone who sees it.

After seeing these photos (and the ages), my friends (who had previously ignored me about this) have started asking me what they should do (like I haven't been telling them for months! ) ... and wonder of wonders ... they actually started taking steps to prepare!

One picture is worth a thousand Press Releases! As a 21-year-old friend said... in almost a whisper: "But they all look so healthy!" ...and then went silent as he kept staring at the screen. He got his pneumovax the very next day.

Not only is it is a touching memorial to the H1N1 victims ... it is a very effective message to help keep our family and friends from being included in this album.

Thank you to whomever will keep the Photo Album updated... It is so very important. (Is there a way to search for the photos of all the other victims and add them also?)

I am so grateful to everyone on this site that works so hard to keep us informed. BIG hugs to you all...

Dawn

Tiphani's photo is published at both the following links (from above posts #1 & #3):
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090816/BREAKINGNEWS/90816006&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/aug/...die-swine-flu/
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