North Carolina Student on Life Support with H1N1

ABC News on Campus reporter Adam Yosim blogs: UNC drama lecturer Mark Perry first met freshman Lillian Chason (left) when she tried out for the play "A New Dress for Mona" in the fall.
 
"She's a lot like our main character … she really fit in well," said Perry.  
 
Now, instead of fitting into costumes and rehearsing lines, the Dramatic Arts major remains in critical condition at UNC Hospitals after contracting the H1N1 virus last month.
 
Dr. Charles Van der Horst says Chason has received treatment for the virus since November 20th and is hooked up to a life-support machine that acts like an external lung. Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventative medicine at the University of Vanderbilt, said Chason is in the age group where the virus is the most active but her grave condition is very uncommon.  “Pneumonia is far and away the most common reason people become gravely ill with influenza,” said Schaffner. “It is unusual and uncommon in an otherwise healthy adult population, but it does happen and it can make you obviously gravely ill.”
 
Perry and the rest of the 'Mona' cast visited Chason's parents, who flew down from Rhode Island to be with their daughter, after hearing from her mother that Chason was getting worse.  It was after the visit that Perry decided to create the Facebook group, "Prayers for Lillian". 
 
More than 7,000 members have joined the group since Perry created it on November 24th. Friends from UNC and Rhode Island, as well as some who have never met Chason, continue to offer their prayers and well wishes from across the state and nation.
 
One user wrote that she remembers seeing Chason’s face around campus and is praying for her safe recovery.
 
"I have never formally met you but find myself rushing to this group every time I'm on Facebook hoping to see that you have woken up and are getting healthy again," she wrote.
 
Julian Hayes, a senior at UNC, met Chason during rehearsal for “A New Dress for Mona.” He characterized Chason as “bubbly, vivacious and good-humored.”
 
“She was never scared to share her opinion about the writing or directing of the play,” Hayes said. “I always admired her spunk.”
 
Freshman Dillon Rice, another ‘Mona’ cast member, said it “was like getting hit by a truck” when he  found out that Chason was being put on life support. “If you had told me two weeks ago that Lillian would still be in the hospital today, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Rice said. “However I’m so grateful that she’s still fighting, and I can’t wait for her to get better.”
 
Lillian’s parents, Eric and Cate Chason, write daily updates on the condition of their daughter on the Facebook page and encourage individuals who want to send well wishes to Lillian to follow the Facebook group.
 
Earlier this week Chason’s father wrote that “Today was a difficult day for Lil” when her heart stopped after doctors changed her life support circuit. “They kept giving her CPR and eventually she returned to us,” her father wrote on the Facebook page. “I can't tell you what a miracle it was to see how strong a fighter she is. There were some other setbacks but she is now stable.”
 
Last Friday, her father wrote about Lillian’s love for the holiday season – they played Christmas music for her, and said they hope their daughter will be home by Christmas.
 
"It's still a matter of waiting for Lil to heal but she seems strong while she waits," Eric wrote on the page last Thursday.