Report: Torres' coach has fatal disease

MIAMI, July 25 (UPI) -- The coach of U.S. Olympic swimmer Dara Torres reportedly is near death because of a rare blood disease.

The Miami Herald reported Friday that Michael Lohberg, 58, has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia and is fighting for his life after flying to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

"Without treatment, I might not make it to Monday," Lohberg told the newspaper before flying to Bethesda on a friend's private plane. "I have always had a good outlook on things, so I will fight this as hard as I can and see if I can make it."

"It's so awful .. really, really terrible," said Torres. "I can't even talk about it right now. I haven't stopped crying."

Under Lohberg's guidance, Torres, 41, became the oldest woman ever to qualify for the U.S. Olympic swimming team earlier this summer.