UPDATE: ESPN reporter's fiancée reveals he died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, not pneumonia
Katy Berteau wrote in a Twitter thread on Aschoff's account Wednesday night that doctors found non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in his lungs following his death.
Thursday, December 26th 2019, 2:19 PM EST by CNN Newswire & NBC News
Edward Aschoff, a college football reporter for ESPN, died Tuesday on his 34th birthday, according to ESPN.
UPDATE: The fiancée of ESPN college football reporter Edward Aschoff shared that his sudden death at 34 on Christmas Eve was actually caused by stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and not pneumonia, as doctors previously thought.
"I wanted to provide an update about Edward's passing that may help people in processing it and making a little more sense of what happened," she wrote.
"After his passing, the hospital received the final results from his lung biopsy. Unbeknownst to us, Edward had stage 4, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in his lungs. This is an aggressive type of cancer that is usually undetectable until it is very advanced."
Berteau had written in a Twitter thread last month that Aschoff was admitted to the hospital a week after being diagnosed with multifocal pneumonia. Doctors also diagnosed him with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare autoimmune disorder, after bone marrow and lung biopsies.
"Both pneumonia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma can trigger HLH in the body and that is seemingly what happened with Edward,'' she wrote on Wednesday. "All of this combined is what led to his very rapid decline those last few days, and ultimately his passing."
Aschoff had tweeted on Dec. 5 that he was suffering from "multifocal (bilateral) pneumonia" after falling ill following his coverage of the annual football game between Michigan and Ohio State.
Learning the new information seemed to bring some comfort to Berteau. The two were set to be married in April.
"It has helped me knowing that his passing was inevitable, and I'm at least grateful he didn't have to go through the painful treatment and drawn out process of battling the disease,'' she wrote.
She also asked that donations be made to a scholarship fund in his name set up by Aschoff's alma mater, the University of Florida's School of Journalism and Communications, to help aspiring journalists.
PREVIOUS STORY: Edward Aschoff, a college football reporter for ESPN, died Tuesday on his 34th birthday, according to ESPN.
"We are very sorry to have to share the devastating news of the tragic passing of friend and ESPN colleague Edward Aschoff," ESPN said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with his loved ones, including his fiance Katy."
ESPN said Aschoff died after a brief illness, without providing specifics. Earlier this month, Aschoff tweeted that he had pneumonia, even though he was young and had "a very good immune system."
"Anyone ever had multifocal (bilateral) pneumonia in their early 30s as some who never gets sick and has a very good immune system? Asking for two friends ... my lungs," he tweeted on December 5.
Other tweets said he had a virus for weeks and it "morphed into this monster." He wrote that he went to the emergency room on December 1 after a flight and started on antibiotics the next day
On December 4 he put up an Instagram post where he thanked his fiancee, Katy Berteau, for helping him during an illness.
"Having pneumonia is pretty terrible. Like the absolute worst. But it helps having this sweet angel taking care of you even when she's risking getting this soul-crushing illness herself. All the soup, tea and delicious meals have kept me from crawling into a corner and crying the days away. Love you, babe. Thanks for putting up with my 5 am coughing fits."
It is unknown whether Aschoff had any underlying health issues.
According to ESPN, Aschoff started working for ESPN.com as a reporter based in Atlanta. He moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to begin a more expanded national role that included television coverage.
Over the past three seasons, Aschoff reported from campuses across the country for ESPN.com, SportsCenter, SEC Network and ESPN Radio, and worked as a television and radio sideline reporter during college football games, a release from ESPN said.
His final assignment was at the Ohio State-Michigan football game in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on November 30.
"Ed was one of the smartest, brightest reporters I've ever had the pleasure of working with," ESPN Executive Editor Lauren Reynolds said. "For as good of a reporter Ed was, he was an even better person. He always put people first -- those whose stories he told, and those who had the honor of working alongside him."
Aschoff and Berteau were to be married in New Orleans in April, ESPN said.
His coworkers tweeted out details about his life as they mourned his loss.
"I will not be able to stop crying for a while," tweeted ESPN's Andrea Adelson. "The world lost a light, and we all lost a friend, but more than that, his fiancee lost her soulmate and I pray for her and his family and everyone who loved him to find the strength to move forward. I already miss you so much, Ed."
ESPN senior writer Adam Rittenberg said he would remember Aschoff as happy and vibrant.
"Edward Aschoff was one of my closest friends," ESPN reporter Kyle Bonagura said. "He was was one the most genuine, enthusiastic, personable people I've ever and he made the world a better place. Today is unspeakably sad and I'm devastated for Katy and his family."
ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington shared a letter in which Aschoff, then a student at the University of Florida, shared his growing passion for sports writing.
"I love it, and this is what I want to do," Aschoff wrote in asking Darlington for some career advice.