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Indiana Mom of Two Dies From the Flu After Taking Care of Her Sick Family

Mar 19th, 2018 | By: Alexia fernandez, people.com

An Indiana mother of two died three days after receiving a flu diagnosis after she took care of her sick family members.

Karlie Illg Slaven, 37, died from complications related to the flu virus on Monday, her father, Karl Illg, told WCPO.

“They were all sick through the week but they all had their shots and they got over it pretty well,” he said.

It was after her two children began to feel better that Karlie began to experience similar symptoms that she had seen in her kids. She was diagnosed with influenza.

When doctors took X-rays of her chest, they did not find anything unusual and she was discharged. Karlie returned to the hospital the next day when she began to feel worse. When she checked in, she had pneumonia, the outlet reported.

“My wife called and said, ‘Get the kids dressed and get over here right away — they’ve put her in the ICU. She’s in critical condition,” Karl said.

His daughter died on Jan. 22 at about 6:30 a.m. surrounded by her husband Mike Slaven, two children and parents.

According to Fox 59, Karlie did not receive the flu shot, but her children and Slaven did.

“Even if it only gives you a 10 to 20 percent edge to fight off the flu, that 10 to 20 percent might have saved Karlie’s life. It is one of those things that we are all going to have to wonder about,” Karl told the outlet.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support her family.

Karlie hasn’t been the first person to die after a flu diagnosis. A mother of three from California, who was an avid runner and enjoyed being active, died within days of showing symptoms of influenza earlier this month.

A 12-year-old boy from Michigan also died after showing symptoms of the virus earlier this month. Michael Messenger had received the flu vaccination in December but died soon after his symptoms worsened.