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Husband Speaks About Wife's Death From Swine Flu
Forty-one-year-old Deborah Burton was the first confirmed patient to die of Swine Flu in Colorado. Now, for the first time, her husband is talking about it because he says he's got a crucial message for all of us.
Posted: 10:37 PM Sep 24, 2009
Reporter: McKenzie Martin
Email Address: mmartin@kktv.com
PLAY VIDEO: Man Talks About Wife's Swine Flu Death
Forty-one-year-old Deborah Burton was the first confirmed patient to die of Swine Flu in Colorado. Now, for the first time, her husband is talking about it because he says he's got a crucial message for all of us.
Steve Burton hopes that no one else has to go through what his family has. He had the Swine Flu too, back in July when his wife got sick. In fact, Steve Burton even believes she got the Swine Flu from him. He recovered fine, but his wife ended up in the hospital, and she died about a week after she got sick.
"It was just so quick," Steve said.
He still can't believe his wife of 20 years is gone.
"There were no underlying health problems with her. She was a healthy vibrant 41-year-old woman," Steve said. She was healthy until this past July when Deborah got sick, then tested positive for Swine Flu.
?I took her back to clinic and they just gave her cough medicine and sent us on our way and we thought OK, no big deal," Steve said.
Steve also tested positive for H1N1, but he continued to get better. Deborah never did.
"She was just getting worse with her breathing and everything and I took her to the emergency room early in the morning. That was Tuesday and she was dead by 7pm that night," Steve said.
She was gone in a matter of days. ? It was bacteria pneumonia in her lungs and then because her lungs were so bad she wasn't getting oxygen to her body," Steve said.
He says he's still in shock by what took his wife, and how fast it happened. "You have a cold, you have the flu, you don't think it's life-threatening. It?s something you are never ready for," Steve said.
He just hopes his story can be a warning for all of us. "It can get very nasty very quickly and it did for us. I don't want to create a panic amongst folks, but they got to take this thing seriously," Steve said.
The H1N1 virus is still spreading in our area. It's important to keep in mind, the doctors we've spoken to say they are mostly seeing just mild cases and nothing like Deborah's. If you have mild flu like symptoms, it's recommended that you stay home and treat them like you would the normal flu. If things get worse, you should go see a doctor. It's also recommended that high-risk groups, those over 65 and under five, should go to a doctor if they get sick.
Husband Speaks About Wife's Death From Swine Flu
Forty-one-year-old Deborah Burton was the first confirmed patient to die of Swine Flu in Colorado. Now, for the first time, her husband is talking about it because he says he's got a crucial message for all of us.
Posted: 10:37 PM Sep 24, 2009
Reporter: McKenzie Martin
Email Address: mmartin@kktv.com
PLAY VIDEO: Man Talks About Wife's Swine Flu Death
Forty-one-year-old Deborah Burton was the first confirmed patient to die of Swine Flu in Colorado. Now, for the first time, her husband is talking about it because he says he's got a crucial message for all of us.
Steve Burton hopes that no one else has to go through what his family has. He had the Swine Flu too, back in July when his wife got sick. In fact, Steve Burton even believes she got the Swine Flu from him. He recovered fine, but his wife ended up in the hospital, and she died about a week after she got sick.
"It was just so quick," Steve said.
He still can't believe his wife of 20 years is gone.
"There were no underlying health problems with her. She was a healthy vibrant 41-year-old woman," Steve said. She was healthy until this past July when Deborah got sick, then tested positive for Swine Flu.
?I took her back to clinic and they just gave her cough medicine and sent us on our way and we thought OK, no big deal," Steve said.
Steve also tested positive for H1N1, but he continued to get better. Deborah never did.
"She was just getting worse with her breathing and everything and I took her to the emergency room early in the morning. That was Tuesday and she was dead by 7pm that night," Steve said.
She was gone in a matter of days. ? It was bacteria pneumonia in her lungs and then because her lungs were so bad she wasn't getting oxygen to her body," Steve said.
He says he's still in shock by what took his wife, and how fast it happened. "You have a cold, you have the flu, you don't think it's life-threatening. It?s something you are never ready for," Steve said.
He just hopes his story can be a warning for all of us. "It can get very nasty very quickly and it did for us. I don't want to create a panic amongst folks, but they got to take this thing seriously," Steve said.
The H1N1 virus is still spreading in our area. It's important to keep in mind, the doctors we've spoken to say they are mostly seeing just mild cases and nothing like Deborah's. If you have mild flu like symptoms, it's recommended that you stay home and treat them like you would the normal flu. If things get worse, you should go see a doctor. It's also recommended that high-risk groups, those over 65 and under five, should go to a doctor if they get sick.