PORTLAND, Ore. -- A 25-year-old Lewis and Clark graduate student died from complications related to the H1N1 flu virus over the weekend.

Kris Kerstiens' father said Tuesday his son developed acute respiratory distress syndrome; his lungs filled with fluid and his kidneys stopped functioning.

The complications came on suddenly, Kevin Kerstiens said, and the vaccine could have saved his son's life.

"You know, where was the vaccine? We knew about this one month ago. It hit in the spring," he said.

Kris Kerstiens was enrolled in the Masters in Education Program at Lewis and Clark College where he hoped to graduate this summer and then work as a high school social studies teacher.

"In many ways, his peers thought of him as the ideal teacher," said Professor Scott Fletcher. "There was a powerful discussion about how he affected their own preparation by knowing Kris and what we lost when he passed."

Kris Kerstiens' father warned people to be careful if they catch the illness.

"A lot of other people (are) going to die from the complications, not from the flu, but from the complications that if the vaccine had been there he'd of lived," Kevin Kerstiens said.

A memorial is set for Saturday, Nov. 28, at Lewis and Clark College.

H1N1 Claims Lewis And Clark Grad Student