Michaela Olson, 16, Dies on Sunday Morning Run: No. 1 Story of 2012

The story of this shocking death was the No. 1 most-read post on St. Michael Patch in 2012. It was published July 1, 2012.

 More than two months later, answers to why Olson died were revealed. That post follows the story below.

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ST. MICHAEL, MN -- UPDATE: (11 a.m., Monday, July 2): The local sheriff's office released the name of the 16-year-old girl who collapsed while running in Sunday morning's heat and humidity and later died at a local hospital as Michaela Marie Olson of St. Michael. 

Olson was an honor roll student and was set to be a junior in the fall. 

UPDATE (9:30 a.m., Monday, July 2): The Wright County Sheriff's Department reports:

"Wright County Sheriff’s [deputies] responded to a medical emergency on the bike path near Kady Avenue Northeastand 49th Street Northeast in the City of St Michael. A-16-year-old female from St. Michael was reported to have collapsed and had been found unresponsive.

"The victim was transported to New River Medical Center in Monticello by Allina Ambulance where she was pronounced dead. The St Michael Fire Department also responded to the scene.

"The name of the victim will be released later today."

The incident remains under investigation by the Wright County Sheriff’s Office and the Wright County Medical Examiner’s Office.

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First-responders, including the Wright County Sheriff's Department, St. Michael Fire Department and Allina Ambulance, were called to a tragic scene Sunday morning along County Road 119 in St. Michael. 

According to witnesses who asked not to be named, a teen-aged girl collapsed and fell to the pavement while running in Sunday morning's heat and humidity. She later died at a local hospital. 

Patch has corroborated the witnesses' story, and the facts are on record with agencies who arrived at the scene. 

It's the third teen-aged death in less than a year for students of St. Michael-Albertville High School, who took to social media such as Twitter and Facebook to remember their classmate Sunday afternoon and evening. 

The 2011-2012 junior class lost Dustin Harrington to suicide in the fall of 2011. Luke Letellier, a sophomore, died in February after a two-year battle with cancer. 

The school district is also mourning the loss of a teachers, after Timothy Larson was gunned down on his father's land in October of last year. 

Patch will have more on this story as it develops. 

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St. Michael Teen Who Collapsed on Run Died from Fungal Infection

Sept. 17, 2012 - The initial response to the question why 16-year-old Michaela Olson died on a July 1 morning run pointed to one of two factors. Either the young girl, training for soccer tryouts in the fall, succumbed to the high heat index of that muggy July day, or her prior complications with breathing, including an asthma diagnosis, had compromised her breathing. 

All the while, the Olson family maintained the opinion that it had to be something else. After all, Michaela had been properly hydrated and run in warmer conditions than that July 1 morning. And her asthma diagnosis, on second look, had been incorrect. She had, in fact, been dealing with a vocal chord ailment, diagnosed that spring. 

It turns out the Olson family was correct. It was neither of those things. 

According to a media report filed by Fox 9 News, Michaela died of a fungal infection that caused an inflamation of the lymph node near her heart, cutting off circulation to the coronary arteries. 

The infection is common. Known as histoplasmosis, the spores can be inhaled after earth is moved during construction projects as simple as rebuilding a landscaping wall, or as complex as digging a new basement for a home. 

Michaela could have inhaled the spores almost anywhere during her training runs, or at any other time. 

The Mayo Clinic states: Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by breathing in spores of a fungus often found in bird and bat droppings. Histoplasmosis is most commonly transmitted when these spores become airborne, often during cleanup or demolition projects.

According to the Mayo Clinic, most are able to fight off the fungus without even knowing they took it in. In some, symptoms can appear like a lung infection or even a flu, causing a fever or some chills. 

In Michaela's case, the infection was severe enough it contributed to her death. Doctors think the fungus attached to scar tissue in Michaela's lungs.

Meanwhile, the community continues to offer the Olson family its support. The St. Michael-Albertville High School girls' soccer team will present a signed jersey to the Olson family at an upcoming home game, set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29. 

There has also been a web site created where friends can leave memories and offer financial support to the family to help cover costs of funeral expenses. 

The memorial to Michaela, made on the pathway near Gutzwiller Park, still stands. Her parents visit daily.