Grant Wahl

[underwaterrhymes]

Grant Wahl (the reporter who wore a rainbow shirt at the World Cup) collapsed today and died at a match. He was only 49.

I really hope we take custody of his body and investigate this as murder.

apnews.com/article/world-cup-health-sports-argentina-national-soccer-team-qatar-82829df66ec0635bdbba3e8edccea96d

[Bad Dingo]

That's really sad. Unfortunately this is coming more regularly as a result of covid.

[gardengal]

Whoa. How very, very sad. His poor family!

[basilosaurus]

Wow. Having just gone through a similar to young sudden family death my sympathies for them are at all all time high

I just hope his body can be repatriated and investigated before any one has a chance to cover up if there were anything nefarious.

[underwaterrhymes]

Dec 10, 2022 4:36:07 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

That's really sad. Unfortunately this is coming more regularly as a result of covid.

I don’t think this is COVID. He received death threats.

ETA - I do see that he had bronchitis and had tested negative for COVID and I also agree that we will continue to see a lot of cases like this related to COVID. But because he was a prominent figure who had received threats and his brothers are worried he was killed, I think we really need to get his body home so we can do an autopsy.

[Velar Fricative]

My first reaction is that this is really suspicious. But he also was sick recently, and also had COVID a few months ago. It seems plausible that he was misdiagnosed. But I do hope there is a full investigation by US authorities.

[seeyalater52]

Dec 10, 2022 7:34:40 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Dec 10, 2022 4:36:07 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

That's really sad. Unfortunately this is coming more regularly as a result of covid.

I don’t think this is COVID. He received death threats.

ETA - I do see that he had bronchitis and had tested negative for COVID and I also agree that we will continue to see a lot of cases like this related to COVID. But because he was a prominent figure who had received threats and his brothers are worried he was killed, I think we really need to get his body home so we can do an autopsy.

I agree. It absolutely could be post-covid, even if his most recent infection wasn’t covid (sudden cardiac and vascular complications leading to death are increasingly common for some time after which is very scary) but given the circumstances it absolutely needs to be investigated further and not swept under the rug.

[heat40]

So sad. As soon as I realized he’s the one who tried to get in a stadium with a rainbow shirt, I felt super uneasy about it. It could very much be covid, but he’s been very critical and that particular incident went viral. I’m hoping his family gets his body as requested and that they get all answers to any questions they may have.

[dulcemariamar]

Dec 10, 2022 4:36:07 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

That's really sad. Unfortunately this is coming more regularly as a result of covid.

So we are just going to have people die randomly from heart attacks now after having Covid? Is there any way to prevent this? Should we all be visiting a cardiologist after an infection. This is scary !

[Bad Dingo]

Dec 10, 2022 12:44:46 GMT -5 dulcemariamar said:

Dec 10, 2022 4:36:07 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

That's really sad. Unfortunately this is coming more regularly as a result of covid.

So we are just going to have people die randomly from heart attacks now after having Covid? Is there any way to prevent this? Should we all be visiting a cardiologist after an infection. This is scary !

Covid is a vascular disease and can lead to microclots that can cause heart attack or stroke. Some suggest an aspirin regimen, but it's not known yet if it is effective on microclots.

Grant Wahl's wife is actually an excellent follow on Twitter, she is an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert. I can't imagine how devastating the sudden loss of her husband is.
twitter.com/celinegounder

[kath16]

I have met Grant and for reasons I won’t share, his loss affects many people that I know.

I have no doubt his brother is feeling immense guilt. And on the surface I understand where it comes from. I pray that whatever information is found that his brother can have peace.

His wife Celine does (or did?) work with the Biden administration and I am sure they will have a lot of resources available to them to investigate.

My gut is that it was an illness that went wrong, whether a current virus that he was fighting or I have seen that PE after COVID can happen and can seem a lot like the symptoms he was describing- I am speaking third hand here and admit that I am not an expert.

All that to say that I lean more toward a misdiagnosis from the medical center he went to however many days ago than actual foul play.

[wildrice]

I think this is beyond sketchy. I don't know how you murder someone with a respiratory illness, but I think it absolutely needs to be investigated.

[docholly]

This is so very sad. It needs investigated, but it may well be misdiagnosis.

It reminds me of my husband’s experience. At 33, he went into the hospital with shortness of breath and was also told he had bronchitis and was sent home. He went back a few hours later and collapsed outside the door.

It ended up being severe myocarditis. He was saved, but there were a couple touch and go moments. He was extremely lucky he went back when he did.

[erbear]

Dec 10, 2022 13:22:10 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

Dec 10, 2022 12:44:46 GMT -5 dulcemariamar said:

So we are just going to have people die randomly from heart attacks now after having Covid? Is there any way to prevent this? Should we all be visiting a cardiologist after an infection. This is scary !

Covid is a vascular disease and can lead to microclots that can cause heart attack or stroke. Some suggest an aspirin regimen, but it's not known yet if it is effective on microclots.

Grant Wahl's wife is actually an excellent follow on Twitter, she is an epidemiologist and infectious disease expert. I can't imagine how devastating the sudden loss of her husband is.
twitter.com/celinegounder

Yes. She’s a friend of my college roommate and they’re saying the same — they are checking it out and they are devastated. Either way sucks — either this is an otherwise healthy 49 year old dying (scary as fuck) or a murder at the World Cup (wtf?)

[Gato]

He was a friend of a friend, and our friend does not think much of the conspiracy theories.

[StrawberryBlondie]

So... There have been 3 journalists who have died suddenly covering the world cup?

I was team "suspicious but probably a bad coincidence" but this gives me pause.

[nothingcontroversial]

Grant Wahl's brother posted on Twitter that they (the family) "no longer suspect foul play." 

[underwaterrhymes]

Dec 13, 2022 18:15:40 GMT -5 nothingcontroversial said:

Grant Wahl's brother posted on Twitter that they (the family) "no longer suspect foul play." 

I’m relieved that they will have answers. I think it’s absolutely natural they were concerned about foul play (that’s where my mind immediately went). I hope his family finds some peace in the answers they get, although I’m sure their grief is not diminished.

[kath16]

Dec 13, 2022 17:45:31 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

So... There have been 3 journalists who have died suddenly covering the world cup?

I was team "suspicious but probably a bad coincidence" but this gives me pause.

One of grants podcasts mentioned that people don’t have COVID but that some other bugs were going around and everyone is coughing. I know the Netherlands delegation had the flu at one point. It’s odd, but it could be a lot of things, including air conditioning in massive stadiums and very late nights, especially for journalists and other workers.

Don’t get me wrong, I am glad they are doing an autopsy. I’m glad Dr Gounder has whatever she needs basically at her disposal for this. And I just pray that that she and his brother especially can find some kind of peace in this

[karinothing]

www.npr.org/2022/12/14/1142647682/grant-wahl-autopsy-world-cup-qatar

Looks like it as an aneurysm.

[MixedBerryJam]

Dec 14, 2022 8:31:18 GMT -5 karinothing said:

www.npr.org/2022/12/14/1142647682/grant-wahl-autopsy-world-cup-qatar

Looks like it as an aneurysm.

If I’m honest I never really thought his death was suspicious bc I assumed it was either covid or Mers (at least a peripheral connection to one or the other). Honestly I’m a little freaked out by there being three journalists die suddenly in a month.

[karinothing]

Dec 14, 2022 8:38:08 GMT -5 MixedBerryJam said:

Dec 14, 2022 8:31:18 GMT -5 karinothing said:

www.npr.org/2022/12/14/1142647682/grant-wahl-autopsy-world-cup-qatar

Looks like it as an aneurysm.

If I’m honest I never really thought his death was suspicious bc I assumed it was either covid or Mers. Honestly I’m a little freaked out by there being three journalists die in a month.

Yeah I don't know the backstory on that BUT I will say my husband does a huge week-long conference every year (at least 10k people but I think more) and they always have multiple deaths. Traveling, plus different schedules, lack of sleep, stress = rough on the body. So it's not overall surprising to me that folks are dying in such a massive event (I assume folks due during the Olympics too). But for 3 journalist to die specifically is kind of odd.

[bears]

Dec 14, 2022 8:41:47 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Dec 14, 2022 8:38:08 GMT -5 MixedBerryJam said:

If I’m honest I never really thought his death was suspicious bc I assumed it was either covid or Mers. Honestly I’m a little freaked out by there being three journalists die in a month.

Yeah I don't know the backstory on that BUT I will say my husband does a huge week-long conference every year (at least 10k people but I think more) and they always have multiple deaths. Traveling, plus different schedules, lack of sleep, stress = rough on the body. So it's not overall surprising to me that folks are dying in such a massive event (I assume folks due during the Olympics too). But for 3 journalist to die specifically is kind of odd.

I bet the travelling has a huge impact on mortality in these situations.  Blood clots/strokes increase after long-haul flights. My job requires that you book business class tickets for flights over 6 hours and gives you compression stockings to help decrease that risk.

[Velar Fricative]

Dec 14, 2022 8:31:18 GMT -5 karinothing said:

www.npr.org/2022/12/14/1142647682/grant-wahl-autopsy-world-cup-qatar

Looks like it as an aneurysm.

I am glad they were able to find out quickly but this is so scary nonetheless.

[frlcb]

A note from his wife.

grantwahl.substack.com/p/a-note-from-grants-wife-celine-gounder?r=qyzkn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

[kath16]

his wife's tribute is absolutely beautiful

i think a lot of people are still reacting to disbelief that a healthy young-ish person like grant could suddenly just.. die. and i think a lot of that is just a defense mechanism. surely there is a reason that this would never happen to me or anyone i love, right?

[notreal]

Dec 14, 2022 8:51:19 GMT -5 bears said:

Dec 14, 2022 8:41:47 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Yeah I don't know the backstory on that BUT I will say my husband does a huge week-long conference every year (at least 10k people but I think more) and they always have multiple deaths. Traveling, plus different schedules, lack of sleep, stress = rough on the body. So it's not overall surprising to me that folks are dying in such a massive event (I assume folks due during the Olympics too). But for 3 journalist to die specifically is kind of odd.

I bet the travelling has a huge impact on mortality in these situations.  Blood clots/strokes increase after long-haul flights. My job requires that you book business class tickets for flights over 6 hours and gives you compression stockings to help decrease that risk.

This is sadly how David Bloom (a reporter for the Today Show) died, long hours sitting in a vehicle in Iraq.

[beetea]

Dec 14, 2022 11:01:52 GMT -5 frlcb said:

A note from his wife.

grantwahl.substack.com/p/a-note-from-grants-wife-celine-gounder?r=qyzkn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

This is lovely and the comments I was able to get through before full on sobbing were equally as beautiful. It's clear he was an exceptional human who profoundly impacted the people he crossed paths with, whether in person or through his writing. May his memory be a blessing.