Michael Lohberg, the 58-year-old coach of second-comeback sensation Dara Torres, has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder, and has been told he could have weeks, if not days, to live, according to the Miami Herald.

The coach tells the paper: 'They told me I might last only weeks, or maybe even days. It's bad. I knew something was wrong because I was very tired and out of breath, but I thought it was from my herniated disk and all the stress. Turns out it's a disaster.'

Torres is quoted as saying: 'It's so awful, really, really terrible. I can't even talk about it right now. I haven't stopped crying.'

Lohberg is a six-time Olympic coach whose charges swam at the 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Games. His swimmers have included Anne Poleska and Vladislav Poliakov. A German national, he coached SSF Bonn to five overall team triumphs at German championships.

He holds degrees from the University of Cologne in mathematics and from the Deutsche Sport Hochschule in Cologne in physiology and physical education.