PORTLAND, Ore. – A Portland family never thought the H1N1 flu could affect them but now their 25-year-old son is gone.

The parents of Kris Kerstiens said Tuesday nothing indicated he was at risk for the swine flu. They said he was in good health but in just two weeks after becoming ill he had passed away from the H1N1 virus on Oct. 31.

“He was amazing,” said his father Kevin. “He was restless. Very vibrant.”

Kris was working toward his Master of Arts degree in teaching at Lewis and Clark College. At Beaverton High School he had been a football player and his parents said he had visited 37 countries.

“All over Africa,” said his father. “He spent a semester in South America. He went all over Europe.”

But during a trip last month to a Seattle Seahawks game his family said he caught a cough that eventually worsened until he was fighting for his life in the hospital over the next two weeks.

“When he almost died, then reality sets in that this is an uphill fight,” said Kevin. “That it’s going to take a miracle for him to pull out of this.”

Early Saturday, after a medical-induced coma, Kris lost the war to H1N1 and acute respiratory distress syndrome after his lungs kept filling with fluid.

His parents are still living the nightmare.

“You see one little thing and you start sobbing unbelievably because it reminds you of one little episode in his life and you know that he’s not going to be there anymore,” said his father.

Dr. Paul Sehdev, who specializes in infectious diseases at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, said he’s surprised at the death.

“He’s definitely the exception, but it’s unfortunate,” he said. “I think we’re going to see that exception from time to time.”

He said the only things people can do who do not fall into the high-risk category is to wash their hands and cover their sneezes and coughs.

“I think that’s the best you can do except for getting a vaccine if and when we have enough supply for everybody,” Sehdev said.

Kris’ friends set up an online memorial on Facebook.

Since Sept. 1, 23 people have died in Oregon of H1N1 and 823 have been hospitalized with the virus.