A family is mourning the loss of their loved one who died from H1N1, or swine, flu.
A man from the Berwick area is dead and the health department confirms it is first death in our area from swine flu. His family has a message for everyone; don't take your good health for granted.
Jason Gensel was 24 years old, in the prime of his life. He had a wife and two children, ages one and three.
On this day his family is in mourning. Officials at Geisinger Medical Center said Monday Gensel died of the swine flu.
"We were a young couple. He was mine. We had two kids. He was 24, never expected it/ I thought he would get over it and he was going to be fine. I never thought this was going to happen to me," said Tabatha Gensel. "It was from Halloween to the 4th. That's when I had to call 911 and he had to go to the I.C.U. It happened that fast. I want to say if you feel you have a misdiagnosis or you feel you need a second opinion and if you are sick and feel really scared, it's okay to be scared. Go to whoever to make you feel better."
She and her parents still can't believe her husband is gone. He died last week. Gensel said she has lots of pictures of her late husband to show their children when they grow up so they can try to understand what happened to their father.
"Knowing that he is in God's hands helps a lot and knowing that I have to get his story out to make sure everyone is aware of this, cause I don't want anybody to feel this way, even if I don't know them. It hurts, it hurts so bad," said Gensel.
"You always think of the flu gets the elderly or a young child or something. You would never think it would get a young man with two kids. I'm totally in shock," said Jerry Marinus, Jason Gensel's father-in-law.
Although medical technology couldn't save Gensel's life, his family knows the doctors tried their best to save him from swine flu.
"They had so much compassion and determination to keep him around for us. They did everything and I want that to be known that Geisinger Hospital was the best," said mother-in-law Martha Iversen.
Gensel hopes some good can come from her husband's death. Her message to others is take flu symptoms seriously. "Wash your hands. Take care of yourself. When you see swine flu signs don't laugh. It's serious and it's devastating," Gensel added. She said her husband thought he had the seasonal flu but he got so sick that he had to be rushed to the hospital.
"The swine flu is that scary. It just ripped someone right from me without no preparation, any warning," Gensel said. She and her family believe her husband is with God because of what happened right after he died. "The clouds just split open and the beam was so bright, It just shown right over the room. Jason was so great and I never thought I'd make it to this day and I never thought I could live without him."
The funeral for Jason Gensel will be held at a funeral home in Nescopeck. According to the state department of health there have been around 8,000 confirmed cases of swine flu and approximately 24 deaths so far.
A man from the Berwick area is dead and the health department confirms it is first death in our area from swine flu. His family has a message for everyone; don't take your good health for granted.
Jason Gensel was 24 years old, in the prime of his life. He had a wife and two children, ages one and three.
On this day his family is in mourning. Officials at Geisinger Medical Center said Monday Gensel died of the swine flu.
"We were a young couple. He was mine. We had two kids. He was 24, never expected it/ I thought he would get over it and he was going to be fine. I never thought this was going to happen to me," said Tabatha Gensel. "It was from Halloween to the 4th. That's when I had to call 911 and he had to go to the I.C.U. It happened that fast. I want to say if you feel you have a misdiagnosis or you feel you need a second opinion and if you are sick and feel really scared, it's okay to be scared. Go to whoever to make you feel better."
She and her parents still can't believe her husband is gone. He died last week. Gensel said she has lots of pictures of her late husband to show their children when they grow up so they can try to understand what happened to their father.
"Knowing that he is in God's hands helps a lot and knowing that I have to get his story out to make sure everyone is aware of this, cause I don't want anybody to feel this way, even if I don't know them. It hurts, it hurts so bad," said Gensel.
"You always think of the flu gets the elderly or a young child or something. You would never think it would get a young man with two kids. I'm totally in shock," said Jerry Marinus, Jason Gensel's father-in-law.
Although medical technology couldn't save Gensel's life, his family knows the doctors tried their best to save him from swine flu.
"They had so much compassion and determination to keep him around for us. They did everything and I want that to be known that Geisinger Hospital was the best," said mother-in-law Martha Iversen.
Gensel hopes some good can come from her husband's death. Her message to others is take flu symptoms seriously. "Wash your hands. Take care of yourself. When you see swine flu signs don't laugh. It's serious and it's devastating," Gensel added. She said her husband thought he had the seasonal flu but he got so sick that he had to be rushed to the hospital.
"The swine flu is that scary. It just ripped someone right from me without no preparation, any warning," Gensel said. She and her family believe her husband is with God because of what happened right after he died. "The clouds just split open and the beam was so bright, It just shown right over the room. Jason was so great and I never thought I'd make it to this day and I never thought I could live without him."
The funeral for Jason Gensel will be held at a funeral home in Nescopeck. According to the state department of health there have been around 8,000 confirmed cases of swine flu and approximately 24 deaths so far.
