A North Texas pediatrician is sharing his heartbreaking story after losing his healthy teenage daughter to the flu — a stark reminder that even with proper precautions, this common seasonal illness can turn deadly with frightening speed.
Dr. Cesar Termulo, who treats children at Parkland Healthcare in Dallas, watched as his 16-year-old daughter Reese died just 48 hours after developing what seemed like ordinary flu symptoms in January 2020, despite having received a flu vaccination.
A Parent’s Nightmare Unfolds
“She was actually acting pretty normal. She was doing the same things that a normal teenager does, like she was texting her friends, she was checking her social media. She was doing her homework,” Termulo recalled of the day his daughter developed a fever.
The timeline of Reese’s illness progressed with devastating swiftness. She developed a fever on January 9, was diagnosed with influenza, and prescribed Tamiflu. By the next morning, her symptoms didn’t even seem particularly alarming to her father — a medical professional trained to recognize danger signs.
“The next morning, I checked her. I knew the complications that could occur from the flu, which is sudden pneumonia,” Termulo said. “She wasn’t even having a fever. She just said that her chest hurt. So, I listened to her lungs, and I checked her and she seemed fine.”
What happened next haunts him still.
“The last thing I ever said to her is, ‘Reese, I think you’re gonna be fine.’ And that was about 7 o’clock that morning. I had to go to work, and then she passed away at about 11 o’clock.”
The Limits of Protection
Despite being vaccinated, Reese had contracted a strain of influenza not covered by that season’s vaccine formulation. It’s a reality that medical professionals understand but that can be difficult for the public to grasp: vaccines significantly reduce risk but cannot eliminate it entirely.
Termulo uses a practical analogy to explain this concept. “Nothing is 100%. So, let’s say, you know, if you wear a seatbelt going down 75 and you get into an accident. That’s not 100% either. If you get hit by an 18-wheeler, you could die even if you are wearing a seatbelt,” he explained.
The flu vaccine that year was approximately 60-70% effective — odds that most would consider favorable. “That means that if you did get a flu shot, more than likely you’re not going to have the complications that happened to my daughter,” Termulo noted.
He firmly rejects the logic some use to question vaccination effectiveness. “I think it’s completely illogical for people to say that your child died and she got the flu shot, therefore the flu shot does not work.”
A Doctor’s Mission
How does a physician continue his work after such a personal tragedy? For Termulo, sharing his daughter’s story has become part of his professional mission, particularly during flu season.
“If I could just tell them, you know, my daughter died from the flu. These things happen and you, you have to be able to take the flu seriously,” he urges parents.
At Parkland Hospital, where Termulo continues to practice, staff have treated numerous flu cases this season. Despite his devastating personal loss, the doctor remains steadfast in recommending flu vaccinations for his patients.
His message to parents is clear: get vaccinated, but also remain vigilant for complications like pneumonia or difficulty breathing, which can develop rapidly even in otherwise healthy children.
That vigilance matters because, as Termulo’s experience tragically demonstrates, the line between a routine illness and a life-threatening one can sometimes be crossed in mere hours — even when you’re doing everything right.
