Judy Trunnell died of swine flu in her prime [PICTURE]

Doctors knew she had a flu when she came in, but did not know what kind, Lopez said. The area is undergoing a Type A influenza epidemic right now, and swine flu is one variety of that, he said. She was confirmed to have swine flu shortly before she died, he said.

SHOOT: Seems like such a nice person. And looks like she was in hospital fighting for her life for almost 2 weeks.

clipped from www.google.com HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) — This week should have been a joyous time for Judy Trunnell, a 33-year-old schoolteacher who had just given birth to a healthy baby girl. But the friends and relatives whose cars lined the quiet street in front of her home in a quiet subdivision Tuesday instead were mourning her, the first U.S. resident with swine flu to die. "She was just a beautiful person, warm at heart. She worked with disabled children as a teacher," Zamora said. "Those that knew her will always remember her." She died early Tuesday after being hospitalized since April 19, said Leonel Lopez, Cameron County epidemiologist. Trunnell was from Harlingen, a city of about 63,000 near the U.S.-Mexico border, and taught in the Mercedes Independent School District about 15 miles west of her hometown. She was first seen by a physician April 14 and was hospitalized on the April 19. Zamora said she had complained of difficulty breathing and was put on life support.