Tonight I learned that one of my high school classmates, Justin Key, died suddenly of the H1N1 virus yesterday. Although we were never really “friends,” he and I spent a lot of time together in the band program, from jazz band at 6:30 every morning through marching band rehearsal ending at 9:00 at night. He was nice, funny, and I’ll even confess to thinking he was rather cute.
Although we didn’t keep in touch these seven years since graduation, pictures on facebook and a website of his indicate that he had been healthy and very active with business school and world travels. His death was truly a shock to his family and all those close to him, and my heart goes out to them.
To my knowledge, he is the first person who I’ve known personally to die of H1N1. I knew him. He was my age. Now he’s gone. I’m not well-acquainted with death, so events like these come to me as an abrupt reminder of the fragility of life and of our mortality.
Rest in peace, Justin.
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