BEIJING — Olympic swimmer Dara Torres' cancer-stricken coach is waiting to learn whether his sister might be a match for a bone marrow transplant.

"Right now, they're trying to figure out why his body rejects transfusions," Torres said today. "I think that's the next step they're to figure out. They're also trying to figure out if his sister is a bone marrow match. So, I'm just kind of taking it day by day."

Michael Lohberg has aplastic anemia, in which the bone marrow doesn't produce enough new cells, leading to fatigue, increased risk of infection and uncontrolled bleeding. Treatment can involve blood transfusions or a bone marrow transplant.

The 58-year-old had hoped to be in Beijing to see his 41-year-old pupil compete in her record fifth Olympics, then a few weeks after trials was diagnosed with a rare, serious form of cancer.

"He's doing a little bit better," Torres said. "It's nice to be able to talk to him. About four days during his treatment, I couldn't speak to him. He had real bad side effects. ... It feels good to be able to talk to him on the phone and hear his voice and hear him a little peppier than he was a few weeks ago."

Lohberg also coaches seven other Olympians from five countries.