FRIENDSWOOD, Texas -- A Texas A&M sophomore from Friendswood has died just days after being diagnosed with mononucleosis.
Christy Crow s family says she was diagnosed with the relatively common illness last week at a clinic in College Station.
The 19-year-old s symptoms only got worse from there.
Crow s mother brought her back home and checked her in at UTMB in Galveston back on Monday.
She died early Wednesday morning with her mother at her bedside.
Her glands were swollen. Her eyelids were swollen to the point that she couldn t open her eyes anymore, explained older brother Nick Crow. It looked like she had been through nine rounds of Mike Tyson.
Nick Crow says his little sister was having trouble breathing and couldn t sleep. However, he expected she would get better and joked around with Christy just hours before she died.
We joked around a little bit and said let s just take tonsils out, explained Nick Crow. I get a call at two in the morning saying that my sister s heart stopped beating. You don t expect that. You see her in there, she s talking to you. Three, four hours later, she s dead.
The virus that causes mononucleosis, commonly called mono , is transmitted through saliva. It s referred to as the kissing disease .
Common symptoms include high fever, a severe sore throat, swollen glands and tonsils, as well as weakness and fatigue.
Christy s family believes there s a number of ways she could ve come down with it because she lives in the dorms.
Don t share drinks. I know college kids play different kinds of drinking games and stuff like that. Get your own cup. Keep it with you , and write your name on it. Don t share lipstick, advised Nick Crow.
Christy s boyfriend of less than two months has not shown any symptoms of the illness.
Nick Crow broke the news to him over the telephone shortly after Christy s death.
I hope he doesn t feel that it s his fault because he doesn t have any symptoms, said Nick Crow.
Christy s family says she did not have any known underlying medical issues.
They question if doctors could have done more to save her life. For now, they re waiting on autopsy results, and they re hoping it will reveal what lead to her final moments.
I want her to be remembered as the proudest Texas Aggie of the class of 2016, added Nick Crow. Just known that she was one of the good ones, and we lost an angel today.
Christy would ve turned 20 next Thursday.
Family members are asking people to honor Christy at the traditional Muster ceremony on the Texas A&M campus on April 21. Funeral arrangements have not yet been set.
Click here to donate to Crow's medical bills and funeral costs. Any amount in excess of the medical bills and funeral costs will be put towards a scholarship fund at Texas A&M University in Christy's name.
