Hoffman Estates boy dies of swine flu-related illness
A 5-year-old Hoffman Estates boy died of complications from the H1N1 virus, officials confirmed.
Michael Siver, a kindergartner at Thomas Jefferson School in Hoffman Estates, died Saturday. Like many victims of H1N1, also known as swine flu, the boy had a chronic underlying medical condition, Cook County Health Department spokesman Sean McDermott said.
Those conditions could include breathing problems such as asthma, a weakened immune system or heart disease. Neither health nor school officials revealed Michael's underlying condition.
Siver's funeral was held Monday.
Jefferson Principal Arturo Abrego said the young students at the school have already started to craft sympathy cards for Michael's parents. Some want to donate books to the school library in his name.
Abrego, who attended the funeral, said mourners recalled Michael's bright smile, which beamed throughout his all-too-brief life.
"His legacy will be one of bringing joy to others," Abrego said.
Siver was part of a kindergarten soccer team named "Orange Crush" with the Inverness Soccer Club in Palatine. A spokesman and coach with the club described Siver as a the boy who "always had a smile."
"It's a tragic situation," Cook County's McDermott said. "It underscores the need for the public to take this disease seriously and take precautions at home, to cover your cough, stay home if you're sick, and most importantly, when vaccine is available, if you fall into one of the priority groups, to get vaccinated."
The boy's death is the latest H1N1-related death in the suburbs, though in all the other cases another medical condition played a role. Before Michael, a 41-year-old Gurnee woman died Friday.
On Oct. 18, a 47-year-old Naperville man died shortly after being admitted to Edward Hospital with fever, breathing difficulties and a cough. Before that, a 14-year-old Naperville girl, a teenage boy from Sandwich and a 74-year-old Gurnee man died.
• Staff writers Robert McCoppin and Madhu Krishnamurthy contributed to this report.
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