It is that time again. Some people “commercialize” this time of year. But we won’t. The Rosploch family is truly giving thanks this holiday season. It has been just over a year since Josh and Zach’s illnesses, and our lives have been forever changed.

July 23, 2009. This is the day our two sons would begin their battle against the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. It began with Josh. He had stomach cramping and vomiting. Zach was about 10 hours behind mirroring all his brother’s symptoms. The following day the blood filled bowel movements came.  It was so terrible for us to see both of our children in so much pain, crying and curling up into fetal positions holding their tummies. Not only were we taking care of the boys, but Gerard was sick too.

Our youngest son was being hit the hardest. We took him to Children's Hospital and he was released with what they thought to be a stomach bug. Josh had lost 8 lbs from his already small frame. There is nothing more upsetting than snuggling next to your sick child who quietly asks you, “Mommy, am I going to die?” Although we told him he would be okay, in reality we had no idea what was happening.

Gerard was getting over his stomach cramping and stayed home with our son Zach. Zach tested positive for E. coli but his blood test showed he was not getting HUS. But Josh was another story. We were warned about what could happen with him and how this type of bacteria may cause HUS, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome. Josh fought his way through 2 surgeries, kidney failure, dialysis, multiple blood transfusions, PICC, blood draws every 3 hours, dehydration, IV's, high blood pressure, catheter (folly), bloody noses, became anemic, pneumonia and physical therapy. He stayed at Children's Hospital for 3 weeks.

To this day Josh is being monitored closely by the renal team at Children's Hospital. He stayed on high blood pressure medication for several months and has had pneumonia twice and several colds following his hospital stay. Today we have no idea what his future holds and what other health concerns may await him. We only know that with every sneeze, sniffle or tummy ache we get very concerned that we are headed towards this nightmare again.

We are truly thankful that our boys survived. In the US alone, 14 people a day die from something they ate. In order to prevent what happened to our family from happening to anyone else, we have joined S.T.O.P. This national non-profit is dedicated to preventing foodborne illness. But they need your help. Please take a moment and give thanks for what is special in your life, and what is truly special in ours. We are forever grateful,

The Rosploch Family