Lab tests are being done to determine whether the swine flu contributed to a Valley, Washington woman's death Monday in Stevens County.
The death came as a shock to the husband and friends of 55-year-old Lawanna Wilson. They said she lived a relatively healthy life.
“One day she's here and the next day she's gone,” said her husband, David Wilson. “I just don't know how to cope with the whole thing. She'd been my rock for 37 years.”
As a volunteer EMT worker for Chewelah Rural Ambulance, David Wilson said he took all the precautions to protect himself from the swine flu when helping patients.
Now he wonders if the virus took his wife's life.
On Oct. 12 Lawanna Wilson woke up with a dry cough. David says she took some cold medicine. The next three days she felt fine.
Friday morning Lawanna woke up with chest pains. David took her to St Joseph's Hospital. Doctors diagnosed her with a mild case of pneumonia.
“From then on, it seemed like it just went downhill,” said David. “Her lungs were inflamed and according to what they were saying, that it seemed the swine flu does sit in with pneumonia.”
Rebecca Pavack, who works with David in the ambulance, was there Saturday night when the Medstar helicopter picked up Lawanna and flew her to Holy Family Hospital in Spokane.
“It was too quick,” said Pavack. “Monday morning at 11:30 a.m. she passed away without ever waking up again.”
David said the family's only source of income was his wife's disability payments.
A memorial fund has been set up all U.S. bank locations to help with medical and funeral expenses.
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