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**Shiloh** · October 27, 2009, 10:22 AM

Re: Toronto teen dies; A/H1N1 flu suspected

Source: http://www.570news.com/news/national...ent=n271496418

Grief-stricken father says swine flu death of his son, 13, happened suddenly
October, 27, 2009 - 11:11 am THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO - The grief-stricken father of an otherwise healthy teen who died suddenly from what the family says was a case of swine flu is urging other parents to keep a close eye on their ill children.

Paul Frustaglio says it's essential to get the medical attention needed, especially if there are any breathing problems. Thirteen-year-old Evan Frustaglio, an avid hockey player, fell ill Sunday.

A walk-in clinic sent him home and he seemed to be on the mend by Monday.

Frustaglio tells The Canadian Press that Evan asked to take a bath, then 10 minutes later, he suddenly went limp.

Paramedics were unable to revive him.

"This didn't even take a day and a half," Frustaglio said.

"He fell so quickly. I was watching him. I was there when he died."

**North44** · October 27, 2009, 12:24 PM

Re: Toronto teen dies; A/H1N1 flu suspected

As of yesterday, I was convinced the majority of people in Ontario were going to decline H1N1 vaccination. The general populace has not been aware of what is happening, with respect to this illness, as media news has been scarce. All kinds of uninformed opinions have been circulating and paranoia abounds.

These two unfortunate deaths have brought the issue front and centre and I believe fear of H1N1 has taken hold. When a healthy 13 year old boy contracts H1N1 and is dead within 48 hours, people pay attention. In Toronto, it is no longer an abstract debate, as reality has hit home. What happened to these kids is truly unfortunate, but hopefully other lives will be saved as a result.

**Chuck** · October 27, 2009, 01:31 PM

Re: Toronto teen dies; A/H1N1 flu suspected

Boy killed by H1N1 'was my best friend,' says dad

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091027/boy_fludeath_091017/20091027/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

The death of a young athlete from swine flu, just four days after he started showing symptoms, has stunned the boy's family and friends. But doctors stress it's a rare case.

T.O. boy died from swine flu, say health officials

Updated: Tue Oct. 27 2009 10:15:12

ctvtoronto.ca

Health officials confirm that a 13-year-old boy from Toronto has died after contracting the H1N1 virus.

Evan Frustaglio died Monday after developing a high fever over the weekend. The boy was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital in west-end Toronto Monday afternoon after his condition deteriorated rapidly and he collapsed at home, his father told CTV Toronto.

"He said his legs were bothering him and he wanted me to run him a bath," said Paul Frustaglio, standing outside the family home. "I walked back in the bathroom and he was on the floor. I went to pick him up but he essentially fainted. Then I called 911 and then he's gone."

Frustaglio said it all happened within 10 minutes. He started to perform CPR but it was too late. His son had stopped breathing. Paramedics also tried to revive him but they were unsuccessful. Evan died as his father watched on.

"I guess this disease already attacked his heart, that fast," Frustaglio said.

A coroner determined Evan died of the H1N1 virus. Health officials confirmed the finding late Tuesday morning.

A spokesperson for Toronto public health said officials would hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon to discuss an increase in flu activity in the city.

The boy's mother is a nurse and the whole family was planning on getting the flu shot, his father told CTV Toronto. Evan's mother, father and 10-year-old brother are now on Tamiflu medication that has been prescribed by their family doctor.

Evan was in London, Ont. playing in a hockey tournament when he fell ill. He was sent home Sunday after going to a walk-in clinic with symptoms of the flu.

Friends say the Mississauga North Stars player complained of a sore neck and throat during dinner Saturday night.

It is not known if the boy had any pre-existing medical conditions.

Proper precautions

Evan, who resided in Etobicoke with his family, is the second child in a week to have died from a virus believed to be H1N1.

A Cornwall, Ont. girl died in Ottawa on Saturday after exhibiting symptoms of the swine flu. She was being treated in hospital for mild symptoms but doctors said her condition rapidly deteriorated.

She had no pre-existing health condition.

The Frustaglio family is related to long-time Vaughan Regional Councillor Joyce Frustaglio.

The politician told ctvtoronto.ca that she is furious with health officials for not giving the family enough instructions after they brought Evan to a walk-in clinic over the weekend. She said she wants health officials to lay out what precautionary steps the family should take next, especially as they plan for a large funeral.

She said the responsibility should not fall on the boy's mother, a registered nurse who is overwhelmed with shock and grief over her son's unexpected death.

"This is a tragedy of mammoth proportions," she said. "You don't expect your son to have a fever, a cold and then without any indication, to have him die like that."

The councillor, whose sons grew up with Evan's father as cousins, said the boy was a "bright" young man who was extremely loved by his family.

"He was the most respectful," she said. "I was always Auntie Joyce. He was a real leader in his school and a great hockey player."

Vaccination

Evan was a student at Hill Academy in Vaughan, a small, tight-knit school that fosters young athletes. He had celebrated his 13th birthday last month.

The flag outside the school was at half-mast Tuesday morning and classes were cancelled for the day as friends of the boy poured messages of grief on an online tribute sight on Facebook.

"Wow, I'm stunned," wrote one person. "Evan, you were a great kid and we will all miss you."

The boy died on the same day Canada opened flu-shot clinics across the country. Hundreds of people flocked to the clinics to be vaccinated against the swine flu.

Health officials asked that high risk groups, including the chronically ill and pregnant women, be first in line for the vaccination.

Still, many are choosing not to be vaccinated with the new shot.

"Vaccination is our best strategy for primary prevention," said Dr. Marla Shapiro, CTV's health expert, in an interview with Canada AM. "What people are concerned about is they're watching evolving science."

Many people are concerned about adjuvant, an organic compound in the vaccine that is designed to make the shot more effective, she said.

"Yes, there is no long-term safety data but we don't see any red flags," she said, adding that health officials are focusing on how to prevent the outbreak from spreading. "The encouragement is to use the vaccine."

Coun. Frustaglio agreed, saying she gets a flu shot every year.

"We need to do a better job of educating people of the importance of this vaccine," she said. "It is absolutely crucial that parents get their children vaccinated. I can't imagine why anyone would think not to. Imagine living in a country where it's not available."

Earlier this year, swine flu claimed 29 lives in Ontario during the first wave of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, some players on Evan's team had to be quarantined after exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

Hockey coach Al Reisman told CTV Toronto that Evan's teammates are shocked and saddened. The team's next two hockey games have been cancelled as a result of the tragedy.

"We were all shocked, we still are," he said.

**Pathfinder** · October 27, 2009, 03:46 PM

Re: Toronto teen dies; A/H1N1 Flu Confirmed

Teen's death is father's worst fear

Photo from Facebook memorial
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>$('#lead-photo').hover(function() {$('#lead-caption').slideDown(300);}, function() {$('#lead-caption').slideUp(300);});</SCRIPT>

Father of 13-year-old who died from swine flu recalls spending nights on the floor when his son was a newborn to make sure he was okay

Kate Hammer
Globe and Mail Update Published on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 1:48PM EDT Last updated on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 2:37PM EDT


Paul Frustaglio spent the first days of his son's short life on the floor.

After he and his wife, Ann-Marie, brought Evan home from the hospital he couldn't help but worry that he firstborn might stop breathing.

?I slept on the floor in the room and I was just making sure he breathed all night, I just didn't want to leave his side,? Mr. Frustaglio recalled.

Yesterday his fears came true.

Less than 13 years and two months after he brought Evan home from the hospital, the 46-year-old father found his son collapsed on the bathroom floor. He called 911 and tried frantically to resuscitate Evan before paramedics arrived.

The healthy Grade 8 student and star hockey player died a short time later of what Mr. Frustaglio later learned was H1N1.

He was the 30th to die in Ontario since the H1N1 outbreak began, one of a small fraction of the flu's casualties who seemed in perfect health before they died.

Evan and his team were part of a 48-team minor hockey tournament that ran from Friday through Sunday at London's Western Fair Sports Centre, drawing teams from both sides of the U.S. border, said Stephen Firth, president of the London Rep Hockey Association.

In all, Mr. Firth gauged that close to 700 youths aged 13, 14 and 15 would have participated.

Evan's team, the Mississauga Senators, played three games in all, none against any London teams. They played against the Michigan Jaguars, and two teams from Toronto ? North Toronto and the Ajax Knights.

Mr. Firth said he learned of Evan's death on Monday night, in a call from the Stratford-based Minor Hockey Alliance, adding that so far there is no sense of panic among London residents.

?But everybody I've talked to is surprised at the apparent speed? with which the flu claimed Evan's life.

?That's one of the oddities ? that the boy who succumbed was very healthy and very athletic.?

At its regular meeting Wednesday night, the Minor Hockey Alliance will be reviewing options, he said.

He'd complained of a sore throat but managed to have a strong game on Saturday evening in a narrow loss that left the competitive right wing forward frustrated.

Like many boys his age, Evan was an eater. (He loved steak and had ordered escargot at a fancy restaurant to celebrate his 13th birthday with his family.) That night, after a dinner out with teammates, Evan began feeling sick.

Ms. Frustaglio said he developed ?a slight fever and coughing? that progressed until he started vomiting.

The next day, Sunday, she backed up their bags and they drove home to Toronto.

That afternoon, as Evan's nausea continued, the Frustaglios became concerned and took their son to a walk-in clinic.

?In essence, the doctor checked him,? said Mr. Frustaglio. ?He said his lungs were fine, he didn't prescribe us any meds whatsoever, he just said keep him on the Tylenol and some Gravol for his vomiting and just keep an eye on him.?

Evan continued to vomit through the night, but appeared to be making a recovery by yesterday morning ? the vomiting had stopped and his fever was gone.

Shortly after Evan took a bath his father knocked on the bathroom door to check on him.

?I went in and he was lying on the ground and I said, ?Evan, Come on, you got to get up off the floor!'? Mr. Frustaglio said. ?So I went to pick him up and he started to get up and he essentially collapsed as I was carrying him.?

Both Evan and his younger brother, Will, 10, had had the flu before. Mr. Frustaglio said it wasn't until he saw the helpless look on his son's face as he lay limp on the bathroom floor that he realized that this wasn't a regular flu.

?All I can tell people is just watch your children and if they don't seem right to you, don't hesitate to get medical attention,? he said. ?And if somebody says, Oh it's just the flu, that's not a good enough answer.?

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/teens-death-is-fathers-worst-fear/article1340374/

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**Tonka** · October 29, 2009, 08:17 PM

Re: Dead player's teammates sick

Edmonton Sun

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/swineflu/2009/10/29/11562611-sun.html

TORONTO -- The coach and at least three players of Evan Frustaglio's hockey team are still battling flu-like symptoms.

Frustaglio, a 13-year-old forward for the AA Mississauga North Stars, died Monday from H1N1.

The Etobicoke teen's coach Al Reisman said yesterday he's still sick with the flu, although he's not sure whether it is H1N1.

Reisman said he's keeping his two children at home to ensure they didn't contract the potentially deadly virus while they were at the same London, Ont., hockey tournament Frustaglio attended on the weekend.

"We're not going to take any chances," he said.

Three players on the team are ill and the whole team remains "shaken up" over their teammate's death, Reisman said. "They've lost a friend," he said.

As the North Stars mourn their fallen player, Canadian hockey associations were urging players to avoid sharing water bottles to avoid the spread of H1N1. Although it's not clear how he contracted the virus, they said Frustaglio's death has hammered that message home.

Tony Foresi, president of Alliance Hockey, says it's essential to educate players, coaches and parents about the dangers of sharing personal items.

Foresi says his organization, which represents 20 Ontario minor league teams with more than 31,000 members, is also looking at whether to recommend against the traditional handshakes before and after games in favour of some other way of showing sportsmanship.

Experts say the risk of spreading the swine flu from shared water bottles is huge.

**Chuck** · November 2, 2009, 02:40 PM

Re: Toronto teen dies; A/H1N1 Flu Confirmed

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hOHbf0JYySo9XZeQ50CUc-y2ZkSA

Ontario dad amazed his 'beautiful' son has become face of H1N1 flu

By Allison Jones (CP) ? 1 hour ago

TORONTO ? Burying a child is "the most horrific thing" for anyone to endure, the father of a 13-year-old boy who died from H1N1 said at his funeral, but he hopes the tragedy will encourage more education about the virus.

Evan Frustaglio died last Monday after complaining of symptoms at a hockey tournament on the weekend. His father, Paul Frustaglio, said he, his wife Anne Marie and son Will have been touched by the outpouring of support and stories from people who have also been affected by the swine flu.

"It truly amazes me that Evan's death has captured a nation trying to find answers to a disease that is currently wearing the face of Evan Frustaglio," his father said during a eulogy for his eldest son.

"We must learn from our loss and all become educated on a disease that took our son's life."

The spectre of the influenza on the minds of people all across the country was present during the funeral as Father Vito Marziliano asked those gathered to eschew the tradition of shaking hands during the sign of peace. In accordance with new H1N1 flu guidelines issued Monday by the Archdiocese of Toronto, a nod, bow or other such gesture was encouraged.

During the emotional tribute in front of about 900 mourners, including dozens of children and teens in hockey jerseys, Frustaglio choked up several times as he shared memories of his "best friend."

The boy's passion for hockey was first sparked while watching the Canadian Olympic hockey team win a gold medal in 2002. Evan never had to be forced to go to practice, Frustaglio said. Instead it was Evan who would be prodding his parents awake for early-morning ice time.

"The job of burying your own kid is the most horrific thing for any human being to endure," Frustaglio said.

"With every fibre of our being we keep hoping we'll awake from this terrible nightmare and have him back in our arms again, shooting pucks in that driveway, protecting his brother Will, getting nagged by his mother Am to get to bed early and reminding me to get in shape."

As he prepared to bury his son, Frustaglio had a message to parents and everyone else to hold their children and loved ones close.

"The kiss of life is fleeting," he said in his eulogy. "It is over before you know it. So never let the obligations of life distract you from the cherished gift of family."

**Pathfinder** · November 3, 2009, 10:20 AM

Re: Toronto teen dies; A/H1N1 Flu Confirmed

Evan's death puts human face on H1N1 flu

By Mary Vallis, National PostNovember 3, 2009<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> showTab("text/html"); </SCRIPT>

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Paul Frustaglio grieves with wife Ann-Marie and son Will, 10, at the funeral for 13-year old Evan Frustaglio yesterday in Toronto.

Photograph by: Peter J. Thompson/National Post, Peter J. Thompson/National Post

Toronto -- With hundreds of mourners packing a church on Monday for the funeral of Evan Frustaglio, the 13-year-old hockey player who died of H1N1 flu last week, his family acknowledged the unusual impact of his death.

?It truly amazes me that Evan?s death has captured a nation trying to find answers to a disease that is currently wearing the face of Evan Frustaglio,? said Paul Frustaglio, Evan?s father, who stood at the pulpit with his wife, Ann-Marie, and Evan?s younger brother, Will, 10.

?We must remain strong from our loss and all become educated on a disease that took our son?s life.?

Mr. Frustaglio read a letter sent to him by a stranger in the wake of his son?s death. The man had sat next to the Frustaglios at a steak restaurant as they celebrated Evan?s 13th birthday just a few weeks ago.

The man noticed Evan because of the mature way he counselled his brother on the importance of an education during the meal.

?You spoke with a knowledge well beyond your 13 years. I was also impressed to have seen such a young man ordering escargot. I had the same appetizer. I knew right there that you had a taste for the finer things in life,? the man wrote in his letter, prompting chuckles from the crowd.

?I didn?t know you but I remember that you left a lasting impression on me that night for some unknown reason. Not sure if it was the way you spoke; you spoke the way a father should be speaking to his son, and you my friend were speaking that way to your brother.?

More than 1,500 people attended the service at All Saints Catholic Church; Evan?s teammates, classmates, family and friends filled every wooden pew. His hockey teammates wore their jerseys and sat together in the front, on either side of the family.
Mr. Frustaglio wiped tears from his eyes as he followed his son?s casket into the church.

During the service, which stretched past an hour, Rev. Vito Marziliano asked those in attendance to refrain shaking hands during the sign of peace and nod or bow instead ? a new measure that has been introduced at all Catholic churches in Toronto. The city?s Catholic churches are also temporarily suspending drinking from the chalice and placing communion wafers on churchgoers? tongues to discourage the spread of H1N1.

Evan?s sudden death has put a human face on the H1N1 virus and prompted people across the country to spend hours in line for the vaccine. Clinics in Toronto opened the same day he died.

After the service, Mr. Frustaglio briefly addressed reporters, asking for privacy for his family. Then he, his wife and youngest son followed the hearse and a black pickup truck full of flowers away from the church in a limousine.

The family has established two memorial funds at Humber Valley Village School and the Hill Academy, a school for elite athletes that Evan last attended, in honour of their oldest son.
National Post

Montreal Gazette

http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Evan+death+puts+human+face+H1N1/2174408/story.html

Read latest breaking news, updates, and headlines. Montreal Gazette offers information on latest national and international events & more.

**Pathfinder** · December 21, 2009, 02:51 PM

Re: Toronto teen dies; A/H1N1 Flu Confirmed

Youngster's tragic death put face on H1N1 pandemic.

By Meagan Fitzpatrick, Canwest News Service
December 21, 2009

<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> showTab("text/html"); </SCRIPT>The day after Christmas will mark two months since 13-year-old Evan Frustaglio died suddenly from the H1N1 flu virus and his story grabbed the nation's attention. Going to the grocery store without Evan is an emotional event, let alone facing the holidays, his father Paul told Canwest News Service in an interview.

``It is a debilitating heartache,'' Frustaglio said as he described the waves of intense grief that come over him. ``You can't walk, you can't breathe and it feels like your head is going to explode.''

It was the morning of Monday, Oct. 26, when Frustaglio found his son on the bathroom floor of their Toronto-area home, gasping for air. The father picked up his son, who collapsed in his arms and fell unconscious. He never woke up. The paramedics arrived, but their efforts to revive the young hockey player were unsuccessful.

``They couldn't revive his heart,'' said Frustaglio. ``They tried and tried. His little heart wouldn't start.''

The Grade 8 student had fallen ill over the weekend and his mother brought him to a walk-in clinic on Sunday. He was sent home with instructions to take medication to treat his flu symptoms. Less than 24 hours later, Evan's parents and younger brother were reeling from the shock that the H1N1 virus had claimed the teen's life.

``We're going down a really dark road in our life and we don't see any light and we don't know when we will,'' Frustaglio says. ``We were a strong family the four of us. So it's been difficult not having our other quarter of our whole there. That's the easiest way I can say it, a quarter of us is missing.''

Evan Frustaglio was not the first child to die from the H1N1 flu, but his death was the most highly publicized of all its victims in Canada. He was a young and healthy athlete who died quickly and on the same day H1N1 vaccine clinics opened.

``I was not going to let my son's death be a number, there was just no way, '' said Frustaglio.

When Evan's story was told by media outlets across the country, it caused concern among some parents who until then, hadn't paid much attention to the H1N1 pandemic. Worried parents who earlier had little enthusiasm for immunizing their children took them to the jam-packed clinics and waited for hours.

Toronto's medical officer of health said there was a noticeable shift in people's attitudes toward immunization after Evan died.

``I don't think we can measure it precisely, but just in terms of the community conversation that was happening at the time, (it) switched from a relative disinterest in the vaccine, to at least for some people, a great deal of interest in being immunized,'' Dr. David McKeown said in an interview.

Canada's health minister, Leona Aglukkaq, and chief public health officer Dr. David Butler-Jones were asked in a recent interview if they thought vaccine uptake would have been lower that first week of immunization programs if the Frustaglio's story wasn't so publicized.

``Absolutely,'' said Aglukkaq. ``Totally,'' said Butler-Jones, noting the family's courage for sharing their story.

``It was very tragic and it put a face to the reality of this disease - that it is not typical flu,'' said Butler-Jones. ``It was a face but at the same time, there are hundreds of those faces.''

The deaths of 397 Canadians have been associated with the H1N1 virus.

``People are not numbers,'' said Butler-Jones. ``These are people that we know, that people care about, that are loved or that love others. Every opportunity we have to make a difference, to reduce the risk is key.''

About 40 per cent of Canadians have been immunized against H1N1 and while he didn't give precise numbers, Butler-Jones said he's heard from various jurisdictions that rates among children are higher than expected.

Evan Frustaglio would have been immunized had the shot been available before his death, says his father. He's encouraging Canadians to get the vaccine.

``I can't express how much pain I'm living through and if I can save one life or 20 or 100, then (Evan) didn't die in vain,'' said Frustaglio.

Frustaglio doesn't want Canadians to become complacent about the pandemic but he feels that the ``Evan effect,'' as he calls it, is fading away.

``My son's face, that innocent boy, that was the Evan effect. It kicked everything in the butt to get it going,'' he said of the attention his son's death drew to H1N1 and the vaccine for it. The public and the media's attention, however, has since drifted away.

``It's just not a hot topic any more . . . the problem is people are dying still every week,'' said Frustaglio. ``Everybody should realize that it's real. ''

Canada.Com

http://www.canada.com/Youngster+tragic+death+face+H1N1+pandemic/2367280/story.html

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Toronto teen dies; A/H1N1 Flu Confirmed

Toronto teen dies; A/H1N1 Flu Confirmed

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