A William & Mary swimming alumnus and her husband died unexpectedly while on vacation in Fiji, and news outlets are reporting that the cause of death is still unknown.
David and Michelle Paul took a vacation to Fiji in late May, Today reports, and fell ill a day before they were to return home. Michelle Paul called her father from Fiji and told him that the two had gotten sick and were planning to go in to a medical clinic. The husband and wife were experiencing vomiting, diarrhea and numbness in their hands, and eventually died within a few days of each other.
Michelle swam at William & Mary in the mid-2000s under her maiden name of Calanog. Her brother, Jason, is an assistant coach for Texas A&M. Their father, Marc Calanog, told Today that no one has told him the cause of Michelle’s and David’s deaths.
“Nobody’s telling me what was the cause of the death,” Marc Calanog told Today. “And that’s very hard for me.”
The two had a two-year-old son, Ayden, and David had a daughter from a previous relationship, per Today.
Parents of Texas A&M swimmers are organizing a way to make memorial donations in support of Aggie coach Jason. The donations will go to Voices For Children, a non-profit helping kids in the foster care system. Anyone who wants to make a donation can mail a check to Voices For Children at the address below and write “Calanog Family” in the memo line. All donations received by June 21 will be totaled and a card sent to Jason Calanog‘s family, informing them of the amount that has been donated. The mailing address is below:
Voices For Children
115 N. Main St.
Bryan, Texas 77803
So sad. Many hugs for their families and friends. Hoping answers arrive soon.