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Father of Kent County H1N1 victim calls his son's death 'incomprehensible'
By Monica Scott The Grand Rapids Press
October 31, 2009, 6:09PM
GRAND RAPIDS -- The father of a Grand Valley State student who died from H1N1 complications said a case of seasonal flu appeared to be winding down when his son became "totally incoherent" last Sunday and was rushed to the hospital.
"We knew things had taken a terrible turn when he came out of the bedroom," said Jack Prince, the father of John David Prince, 33. Prince's death was Kent County's second associated with the virus, also known as swine flu.
Prince said his son, who had no underlying illnesses, had a seizure Monday night from encephalitis and his organs began to fail. He said things declined rapidly from there.
"It's hard for our minds to even grasp that he's gone," he said. "John David loved people, loved to communicate and enjoyed nothing more than being with a group. We are going to miss that man of words so much."
Prince, the oldest of five children, would have turned 34 on Monday. He was majoring in sociology at GVSU. Prior to moving to Grand Rapids about a year ago, he worked for the Chicago-based advertising agency, Leo Burnett, as a producer, editor and jingle writer.
"Music was a great part of his life, but he was sort of a Renaissance man who loved woodwork, fishing, reading, politics, all kinds of music and debating," said his sister, Josephine Prince.
His brother, Andrew, said John David had a real thirst for learning.
Saturday, as they prepared for the funeral, the family struggled for perspective.
Jack Prince said he knew a very small percentage of people die of swine flu and an even smaller of those had no underlying health problems.
"His death is almost incomprehensible at times," the father said.
Anne Veltema, a spokesperson for Spectrum Health, called encephalitis "an extremely rare complication from influenza."
Dr. Stephen Cohle, Kent County medical examiner, said when viruses are lethal, it's because they damage the lining of the respiratory system, and make a person susceptible to a bacterial infection.
"Most people are able to recover from this virus uneventfully," said Cohle, who had was not involved in Prince's case. "The encephalitis is unusual."
Cynthia Luke, 52, of Cutlerville, was Kent County's first H1N1 related death. She died Oct. 21 from heart disease and other heart-related issues compounded by the H1N1 virus.
Last week, Ottawa County reported its first H1N1-related death. Ken Scholten, 54, of Holland had developmental disabilities and other underlying health conditions.
As of last week, 10 H1N1 deaths were reported in Michigan. Health officials have urged people to get the flu vaccine as soon as it becomes available. State officials say a shipment of 635,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine are on order for Michigan.
Kent County's flu-related illnesses were at a statewide high of 8,895 last week, outpacing other counties by more than 3,000, according to the state Department of Community Health.
Prince's funeral is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Arsulowicz Brothers Brothers Remembrance Mortuary, 3525 Remembrance Road NW. A sit-down dinner will follow at a location still being determined.
"John David would have loved the idea of people leaving the service and sharing a meal and conversation," said Jack Prince.
