In 1990, when I was six years old, my mom took my two year old brother and me out to get cheeseburgers for lunch.  How could she know that this meal would change our lives forever?  Shortly afterward, my brother and I became ill with horrible stomach cramping, diarrhea, and vomiting.  My mom assumed it was a virus, and my brother began to recover; I, however, only continued to get worse. Within days, typical diarrhea became nothing more than bloody mucus.  When I had not urinated for over twelve hours, my doctor told my parents my kidneys were failing and to take me to the emergency room.  I was diagnosed with Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) due to E. coli poisoning, and sent to the Seattle Children’s Hospital.

            Once admitted, I was given blood transfusions and remained on dialysis for three weeks.  My mom spent day and night by my side, while my father was forced to work and care for my younger brother, causing him to eventually lose his job. I missed two months of first grade, which set me behind in reading for two years.

            Thankfully, after several years, my kidneys were functioning at a normal level again and we thought I was out of the woods.  Aside from suffering from severe depression from junior high to high school, it seemed I had left my experience with E. coli behind me.  However, in my senior year of high school I began getting headaches and my eyes wouldn’t adjust well to changing light conditions.  One morning I woke up with Bell’s Palsy, a sudden paralysis of half of the face.  I went to the emergency room and they found I had blood pressure of 240/150.  My nephrologist explained this was caused by my heart compensating in order to circulate blood through the scar tissue in my kidneys due to the E. coli.  I spent another week in the hospital and was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure.  My kidneys were functioning at 35% and my doctor estimated that I would need a transplant by the end of my forties.

            After a successful first year in Art College , I began to feel lethargic and suddenly started to fall behind in my classes.  In the spring semester of my sophomore year, I was shocked to discover that I would need a kidney transplant by the time I graduated.  This began a year and a half of waiting for my transplant.  In this time period I dealt with guilt over my dropping grades, trips to the emergency room for dangerously high potassium and a bizarre reaction to one of my anti-nausea medications, and fighting my body’s urge to sleep up to sixteen hours a day.  In October of 2006, my mom donated her kidney to me in a pre-emptive transplant surgery.

A year and a half later, I am now two semesters behind in school, and terrified about finding health insurance once I graduate.  My parents have always provided my insurance and helped me pay my doctor bills.  How will I be able to afford them on my own?  Most twenty three year olds worry about where the next party will be, not health insurance.  I now take twelve different medications a day and get blood drawn once a month, a regimen that will continue for the rest of my life.  I have been told that by the time I am in my mid-thirties, I may need another transplant.

  E. coli poisoning has cost my family and me so much. I face emotional consequences from my ordeal, including low self esteem as a result of my new kidney’s bulge on my abdomen, as well as a gnarly ten inch scar from the incision.   I also had to sacrifice the one job I have ever had that I truly loved.  I work in an animal hospital, and because of the risk of infection, I am no longer allowed to handle the animals and am restricted to working in the front office as a secretary. All of this, because of a meal I ate when I was six.

Safe Tables Our Priority has been a great resource for my family and me.  S.T.O.P. creates networks of support amongst victims and their families, educates the public about the dangers of foodborne illness, and lobbies the government for stricter food safety laws.  They work to empower victims of foodborne illness and prevent future outbreaks.  Recently, S.T.O.P. has introduced me to another victim my age and given me the resources to tell my own story. 

Please know that foodborne illness can affect anyone. With this in mind I ask you to please donate to my page and show your support for innocent victims of foodborne illness. Thank you so much in advance.

 

Sincerely,

Linda