Olympic Phenom Dara Torres' coach, Michael Lohberg, was stricken with a rare, potentially fatal blood disorder that has left his star swimmer devastated and prone to crying jags two weeks before the Beijing Games.
"It's just been an emotional roller coaster. I'm in total shock," Torres told The Associated Press by phone Friday from the U.S. team's training camp in Palo Alto, Calif. "I cry a lot and get very emotional."
Torres found out Tuesday before practice that Lohberg has aplastic anemia, in which the bone marrow doesn't produce enough new cells, leading to fatigue, increased risk of infection and uncontrolled bleeding. Treatment can involve blood transfusions or a bone marrow transplant.
Best wishes to Michael and his Family.
