reporter edward aschoff was only 34 years old when he died on his birthday, tuesday. >> yeah.ails of this really stick with you. he was recently fighting pneumonia before his condition took a turn for the worst. >> reporter: from the sidelines to center field, ed aschoff was a rising star in sports reporting. >> how have you been able to navigate through the season? how tough has it been for you? >> reporter: but this morning, the 34-year-old's sudden death has left the sports community reeling. >> this is just tragic. at 34 years old, just wow. >> reporter: aschoff first began feeling ill in early november, initially believing his headache and cough were caused by smog in los angeles, and by thanksgiving, he said he was experiencing fever, cough and fatigue. still the reporter pushed through his symptoms. >> with the buckeyes, i'm edward aschoff. >> reporter: and michigan. on december 5th, aschoff revealed he had been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, explaining on twitter, i'm on day 4 of anti-biotics. days are getting better, but nights are full of coughing, and sweating.

aschoff passing away on christmas eve, his 34th birthday. >> we have to remember.> reporter: and doctors remind us that dying from pneumonia is relatively uncommon for 34-year-olds, but it does kill 50,000 people every year. there is a pneumonia vaccine for anyone over age 65 or with certain medical conditions. as always, check with your doctor. gio benitez, abc news, new york. >> thank you, gio. >> did not know there was a pneumonia vaccine. when you hear it kills up to 50,000 people a year, you can understand why. >> this was an incredible young man. i think a lot of people are learning a lot about pneumonia, the symptoms, how really things can change so rapidly. and i do implore you to go to cee.twitter page and read that it's really touching. the outpouring of support, it's just incredible for this young man. a bright light, big future, on the top of his game, it's just extremely tragic. i've said it the past couple of days, our hearts go out to our sister network, espn, and the aschoff family. >> a big reminder to take care of yourself, your own star player, w

aschoff passing away on christmas eve, his 34th birthday. young, healthy, or chronic medical condition, pneumonia has the potential to be fatal. >> reporter: and tom, doctors remind us that dying from pneumonia is relatively common for 34-year-olds, but it does kill 50,000 people every year. there is a pneumonia vaccine for anyone over the age of 65 or with certain medical conditions. as always, check with your doctor. tom? >> such a shocking turn of events here, though. all right, gio, thank you. >>> overseas now and the security scare for the israeli prime minister. benjamin netanyahu rushed from an election rally after israeli officials say a rocket was fired into the country from the gaza strip on hanukah. the iron dome intercepting that rocket. no casualties reported. israeli aircraft carried out multiple strikes at a hamas military base. >>> and developing in the philippines, at least 20 people are dead and many more missing after a christmas day typhoon. the typhoon triggering widespread flooding, causing landslides and knocking out p

three days later she says he passed away. >> i'm edward aschoff, espn. >> reporter: aschoff, a risingtar in college football reporting had been public about his health struggle which he began tweeting about in november, writing, just before thanksgiving, for someone who never gets sick, i have had some fever, cough, fatigue, flu thing for about two weeks now. but his condition only worsened. he passed away on his 34th birthday, christmas eve, just months ahead of his spring wedding. and aschoff's fiancee remembering the brightness he showed in life writing on twitter, he kept the doctors and nurses constantly laughing and even in the icu he was coordinating with her friend about wrapping christmas presents. tom, it is heartbreaking. >> what a great guy, and a sad story all around. janai, thank you. let's bring in dr. jen ashton with more on this. this is all so strange. ed aschoff's girlfriend says he suffered from hlh. >> what exactly is that? >> here's what people should know about hlh, tom. first of all, it's incredibly rare. there are thought to be only about 200,000 people in the

edward aschoff had been batting pneumonia. co-workers said he took pride in helping the next generation of journalists. >> i'm edward aschoff, espn. >> reporter: a rising star -- >> you guys at alabama aren't used to losing -- >> reporter: and an enterprising reporters. >> looking at it as a head coach, winning in the big house -- >> reporter: edward aschoff had already made his mark. >> tough loss on the road -- >> reporter: the oxford, mississippi, native joined espn in 2011 and quickly became known for his outcoming personality -- outgoing personality. >> he was nothing but first class to this organization and always to me. and ed, you'll be missed. >> reporter: he was a mainstay on the sidelines at college games across the country where me also covered the more polarizing sides of college sports. in 2016, he won first place for enterprise writing in a national contest for his piece on the impact of race and discrimination in college football. on twitter, espn senior vice president, rob king, called him a ray of light who b

aschoff died on tuesday, which was his 34th birthday. >>> to new york city, where police are steppingic incidents during hanukkah. one of the seven reported attacks here this week caught on camera. surveillance video showing a group of teenagers knocking a man of the jewish faith to the ground. the city's mayor, bill de blasio, meeting with religious leaders today following a shooting threat at the headquarters of a jewish organization. other attacks reported include women and children. >>> and the investigation tonight into a massive fire that destroyed a prized turn of the century home. flames tearing through the 6,500-square-foot historic home in concord, massachusetts. multiple fire departments working to fight the blaze. the home, built in 1897, is valued at $2.9 million. luckily no one was home when the fire started. >>> when we come back, from a hollywood icon to a civil rights champion, we're honoring those we lost in 2019. getting those steps in? on it! dimitri thinks he's doing all he can to manage his type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but is his treatment doing enough to l

. >> reporter: a very sad story indeed edward aschoff's fiance posting a series of statements to his twitter feed, thanking everyone for their sympathy and providing new details on the circumstances of his death when edward aschoff passed away on christmas eve, his 34th birthday, he was engaged to be married. his final instagram post, a heart-breaking tribute to katie, his young fiance, having pneumonia is pretty terrible, but it helps having this sweet angel taking care of you now she is writing movingly about the man she loved. i couldn't be more proud that the one thing people are talking about was his ability to lift them up with his energy, light, and that all-encompassing smile. she posted a series of family photos writing, he also loved christmas so much that even from the icu, he was coordinating with my friend about wrapping my presents so i could be surprised. >> he was the brightest light in everything we did. friend and espn colleague chris lowe says aschoff's talent was obvious from the very start. >> this guy, he is something special, he's got something, there's somethi

aschoff had complained about a cough and fever back in november. doctors say it is important to remember whether you are young or old, healthy or unhealthy, pneumonia can be fatal. >>> a major new study this morning about exercise and cancer. researchers have found that even moderate activity like walking 20 minutes a day can reduce your risk of developing the disease. scientists looked at data from nine previous studies. they say as little as 2 1/2 hours of activity every week is enough to lower your risk for certain cancers by more than 20%. they say moderate activity is the type anyone can do including a brisk walk, mowing a lawn, or doing housework like vacuuming. >> definitely sounds like something we can all commit to. >>> up next in "the pulse," the dad who really got the best gift ever. >>> but first, president trump's reaction after his cameo in "home alone 2" is cut from the movie. >>> plus, the story behind a holiday joke and a 26-year-old piece of cheese. that was hidden. tremfya® helps adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis un

there has been an outpouring of love for edward aschoff.d a passion for college football when he got pneumonia, he tweeted that he never gets sick and has a very good immune system less than three weeks later, he was gone >> this morning, tributes are pouring in for edward aschoff, an espn reporter who died unexpectedly on his 34th birthday christmas eve. >> espn executive lauren reynolds called him one of the quote smartest, brightest reporters i ever had the pleasure of working with. >> the bruins held a players only meeting on sunday and i asked quarterback dorian thompson robinson what the main takeaways were. >> ashcoff was a rising star after transitioning from whiting for espn website to on-air college football reporting he passed away fwlollowing a brief battle with pneumonia. he got sick during what he called a bucket list assignment covering last month's game between michigan and ohio state. on december 5th, he tweeted, so i had a virus for two weeks. fever and cough. and the doctors think it turned into this multifocal pneumonia

aschoff had been public about his health problems writing before thanksgiving, for someone who neversick, i have had some fever, cough, fatigue flu thing for about two weeks now. earlier this month, the sports reporter revealed he had been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia. aschoff tweeted, days are getting better, but nights are basically fever, and coughing and sweating. on christmas eve espn confirmed he died on his 34th birthday, just months ahead of his spring wedding. the tributes have been pouring in from the sports world. his colleagues remembering him for his work as an anti-bullying activist and his dedication to his job. we are thinking about our sister station espn and his family today. >> dr. ashton here with me now. people hear pneumonia. seemingly perfectly healthy, 34-year-old man. how does this happen? >> let's talk about what pneumonia is, t.j. you get an infection in the air sacs of the lungs. they fill up with fluid. look at these chest x-rays. healthy on the left. all that black is air. on the right you see white. that's consolidation of infection, and it can be

ed aschoff died tuesday on his 34th birthday.was engaged to be married next year, writing about his fiance in his final instagram post, "love you, babe, thanks for putting up with my 5:00 a.m. coughing fits." kerry sanders, nbc news. >> our thanks to kerry sanders for that report. >>> coming up, joe biden's appeal. why his moderate message is breaking through in iowa with a spli surprising group of voters. sings can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. the queen sleep number 360 c4 smart bed is only $1299. plus 0% interest for 24 months on all beds. ends new year's day. thouwhich is breast cancer metastthat has spreadcer, to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+/her2- metastatic breast cancer, as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole, and shrank tumors in over

some sad news, in the world of sports, reporting, rising college football reporter for espn, edward aschoffing pneumonia last month. he is known for his compassionate reporting and sharp attire. he was considered a magnetic figure on and off the field. espn senior vice president rob king posted this tweet tuesday night writing in part quote, our friend lovingly remembered by so many on this heart breaking day. was a ray of life, smiled his entire being, loved his fiance and brought joy to the job. and he was set to marry his fiance in new orleans in april. >>> president trump had something to say about california governor gavin newsom who last week blamed the trump administration for the rise of homelessness in california. here is a bit of that back and forth. >> housing and supportive services. you have a new director. on the council of homelessness in the united states appointed by donald trump. housing, they're not serious about this issue. they're playing politics with it. expect nothing but division coming and emanating from the folks at hud and the trump administration. >> rumtrump re

ed aschoff's fiance tweeted he was first diagnosed with numbonia and given antiboycotts.e was admitted to the hospital being treated for hlh, a rare decease of the immune system. they were set to be married in april. >> oh, my gosh, that is such a sad story. >>> meanwhile this is happier, a michigan woman is enjoying holiday gifts from a very special secret santa. the woman named shelby received an 81-pound package from her secret santa who was none other than billionaire bill gates. there was through a gift exchange-inside was an original manuscript of the great gatsby. >> shouldn't that be at the smithsonianor something? >> should be. and signed by bill gates. >> there's a descending scale of gifts. >> listen to this. >> so i walked into my tracking page and i saw that the package weighed 81 pounds. i wheeled it back into the fedex location. everyone was delighted to get a peek and what was inside. >> she said the most personal gift from gates was a donation to the american heart association in memory of her mom, she died just ten days before shelby's wedding in april.

. >> julie: i want to get to the fiance of the late espn reporter edward aschoff, sharing new details says he was diagnosed with pneumonia, we knew that, but he was diagnosed with h lh, which is a rare immune system disease just days before he died. can you tell us what is h lh? how dangerous is it? is it rare? >> first of all, it explains what happened. i was wondering how a 34-year-old reporter suddenly dies of multi-lobe pneumonia. this explains it. this is a condition where your white blood cells, your immune cells are literally attacking each other. you have an enlarged spleen and lymph nodes, and get a rash, and tragically cannot fight off bacteria. why would this happen? i think it is most likely that he either had a recent virus or he has an autoimmune condition. it can be genetic, but it is very, very unlikely that it is genetic. it can be treated, but you have to know you have it. you can get a stem cell transplant and be treated, too late for him. we wish his family well. >> julie: we do, and his fiancee, thinking everyone with the support on social media. she is very touch

. >> tributes are pouring in for edward aschoff, an espn reporter who died on his 34th birthday, christmasve. >> espn executive editor lauren reynolds called him one of the smartest, brightest reporters i ever had the pleasure of working with. >>> a warning for military members after the pentagon released a memo, urging them not to use home dna testing kits, saying they present a security risk. >> the kits could expose personal and genetic information and potentially create unintended security consequences and increased risk. 26 million people have submitted their dna, using the home test to trace their lineage or to spot genetic vulnerabilities to disease. and the kits are one of the hottest christmas gifts. but they have long generated privacy concerns. >>> some of the week's wildest moments caught on camera. chaos at a shopping mall in sydney, australia. >> a holiday stunt went out of control. balloons were dropped from the upper level of a mall. pushing and shoving broke out. more than a dozen people were hurt. five had to be taken to the hospital. >>> a ferocious scare for a boy visit

we're learning mother nature about the death of espn reporter edward aschoff.ed with pneumonia. his fiancee tweeted this, it made me cry. it brought tears to my eyes. she tweeted that he appears to have had a rare immune system disease called hlh. her name is katy bertow and said the treatment for it failed. he started treatment and died pto intensive care.f being moved i encourage everybody to see her tweets on twitter. she shows wonderful pictures of edward and their time together. she says this -- one of the tweets, that his brightness showed even up to the last day that he was awake. he kept the doctors and nurses laughing and made a point to thank them. >> he was texting i think a friend to get her christmas presents wrapped and how much he loved christmas. his birthday was the same -- >> scheduled to get married in april. >> yeah. >> such a terrible story. our heart goes out to them. look at the tweets. they're move toing. >>> actress marlee matlin is criticizing delta airlines for what she calls a lack of accessibility for deaf passengers. matalin is the