Dara Torres' swimming coach's pre-Olympic plans have taken a negative turn.

More Info: What Is Aplastic Anemia?

Michael Lohberg, the coach of the 41-year-old swimmer who broke American records en route to qualifying for her fifth U.S. Olympic team, has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder that could be fatal.

The Miami Herald reported Lohberg -- who was supposed to depart for Singapore Friday for a pre-Olympic camp with the U.S. team -- was instead scheduled to take a friend's private jet to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., to meet with specialists.

'"It's really, really bad,'' Lohberg told the Herald. "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."

"I have nothing left in my blood, and I have to get to the specialists by 8 a.m. Friday because without treatment, I might not make it to Monday.''

Aplastic anemia is a blood disorder in which the bone marrow stops producing enough new blood cells. Possible treatments include blood transfusions or a bone marrow transplant.

Torres has trained with Lohberg for the past two years.

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

Torres is scheduled to compete in the 50 meter freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The games begin with the opening ceremony on Aug. 8.