A family's tragic loss may make you rethink your decision to pass on the swine flu vaccine.

You've probably heard by now that the swine flu vaccine has arrived in Nevada.

It seems not many are taking advantage of the opportunity to get the vaccine. Local doctors at UMC say that could create real problems if large numbers of people start getting sick.

Those who have lost loved ones to swine flu don't need to be reminded of the dangers that surround the flu-like virus.

That includes one local woman whose healthy 53-year-old husband died before ever being diagnosed.

Nancy Simon says she was completely blindsided by her husband's death back in May. She says their family doctor thought it was bronchitis and UMC thought it was pneumonia or a pulmonary embolism.

It wasn't until after his autopsy that she learned he had the swine flu.

"I mean, people know how to treat this. This isn't some rare disease that nobody's ever heard of. It's treatable, and it could've been avoidable, if they had recognized the symptoms," said Simon.

Only five days after coming down with what initially seemed like a bad cold, Gary Simon died with no preexisting medical conditions other than high blood-pressure.

"My husband and I were married for 30 years, and he was my best friend. Overnight, like that, your life is changed."

Nancy Simon is sharing her loss in hopes of saving somebody else the pain that can come with the swine flu.  She's urging people to act now in the fight against the virus.

"We put our trust in the doctors to know what they were looking for, and that didn't happen. You don't realize it until it's too late, and that's why I'm really proactively urging people that I know to get the vaccination,"

According to Simon, her husband was in fact tested for the H1N1 virus the day before he died. She says the culture later came back as negative.

It wasn't until after his autopsy that she learned the truth.

"The fact that there are so many false negatives from these tests, you can't settle and say okay, the test came back negative. You have to keep pushing to be retested."

She says her husband's death is proof that the healthy aren't immune to the complications that can come with swine flu.

Prior to his death, Gary Simon devoted a lot of time to his automotive repair shop across the street from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. One of his passions was reaching out to at risk high school children.

A memorial fund has been set up in Gary Simon's name at the Nevada State Bank.

All of the proceeds will go toward the Gary Simon Memorial Scholarship, benefiting education in the automotive industry.

Loved ones will also be hosting a car show benefit to raise money for the scholarship at 6867 Speedway Blvd, Las Vegas, this Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

For more details and registration, you can go to www.vegasautorama.com

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