My family was unfortunate enough to get e-coli 0157-H7.  My husband, four month old son and two year old daughter all had this terrible disease.  All of them spent time in the hospital, but my daughter Madison ended up with the second stage of e-coli, HUS. 

               Madison awoke on Saturday, February 5, 2000 with diarrhea and severe stomach cramps.  Those first days she would be on the toilet and ask to lay her head on our shoulders, then she would lay on the bathroom floor in so much pain.  In a few short days she got worse with vomiting, fever and blood in her stool.  By Tuesday, Feb. 8, we checked into our first of many hospital rooms.

                It was heartbreaking for our family to see her suffering so much.  She would sleep on the toilet, scream in pain, and throw up anything she was given.  She barely slept those first nights, so by Thursday we were all exhausted when we were faced with a new dilemma.  She had blood in her urine.  We knew this was a sign that her kidneys could be affected, first thing that morning we transferred to Blank Children’s Hospital.

                It was a long ambulance ride to Des Moines, but Madison perked up to be out of the hospital for a short time.  Blank wasted no time to get their own tests run, chest x-rays, blood and urine tests.  None of which came back normal.  Around 7:00 that evening our world came crashing down as the doctors told us that our baby had Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome and she might not make it through the night.  It was that moment that I felt like I was losing everything- my faith in God, my soul- I couldn’t- wouldn’t live without my Madi!

                Saturday was even more horrible.  The disease was shutting down her kidneys and destroying her blood cells.  Her poor little body was limp and swollen to the point that she was unrecognizable.  We prayed so much and spent so much time laying by her, talking to her about all of the plans for her future.

                Sunday morning they wheeled her lifeless body into surgery to put in her dialysis catheter, her kidneys had completely shut down.  I can’t begin to explain the thoughts and feelings we had during this time.  She was our everything- our Madi Bear.

                After nine agonizing days of painful dialysis, her kidneys recovered.  Her poor, weak little body still went through a lot to recover.  After 31 days of being on IV’s and total nutrition, blood transfusions, bowel infections, urinary tract infections, and countless other complications, she seemed to be getting stronger.  The day the doctors asked if I was ready to take her home was a scary but sweet thought. 

                My baby fought a tough fight and won.  We have all changed our way of thinking about food and food safety.  Our entire community is more aware of these issues.  Madi will always have her scars on her chest and abdomen, which I call badges of honor. 

                Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P) has been a great asset to our recovery.  They continue to fight for food safety so that none of us have to worry about seeing someone we love go through what Madi did.  They work hard to fight for us, keep us informed, and fight for tougher food safety laws.  Their work is done solely on the support of people that believe in the cause.  After reading Madi's story or knowing what we went through, hopefully you are one of those people!