"It’s just hard to put into words," says the grandmother, Sue Henderson, of a Corning, California girl sickened by E. coli O157:H7. "You hear of people having E. coli, but you never think of it actually happening to a member of your family."
KHSL TV 12 reports that Sue Henderson’s granddaughter Olivia was air lifted to U.C. Davis on October 1st after she was infected by E. coli and developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. After spending four weeks in the hospital, she is now home, but her fight is far from over. "All around it’s been very very difficult" Henderson said.
Members from the Corning Volunteer Fire Department are stepping in to lend a helping hand, according to KHSL 12. "The department has organized a spaghetti feed fundraiser for December 4th and is also collecting donations to help the family with growing hospital bills. Community members are also putting on an all you can eat tri-tip and crab feed which will be held December 11th. "This is a pretty tight knit community and people are always willing to help others out and that’s one of the reasons why I like living here" said Tom Tomlinson,assistant fire chief for the Corning Volunteer Fire Department. Henderson added "The phone calls, the little notes, the stopping by, has just been unbelievable".
Best of luck to Olivia after enduring such a severe illness. Hemolytic uremic syndrome can be a devastating condition. First described in 1955, it occurs in about 10 percent of those infected with E. coli O157:H7 or other Shiga toxin- (Stx-) producing E. coli. It is now recognized as the most common cause of acute kidney failure in infants and young children. Adolescents and adults are also susceptible, as are the elderly, who often succumb to the disease.