TULSA, Okla. (KFOR) A hot day on the lake changed drastically and became rather scary for one Oklahoma family, after their toddler contracted E. coli from the water.
“The journey has been hell because it’s one organ shutting down after another,” Suzanne Faircloth, mother of 2-year-old Elisabeth, told affiliate KFOR.
Earlier this month, the Faircloths were at Keystone Lake, about 25 miles outside Tulsa, for a few days of swimming and boating.
Their fun adventure quickly took a terrifying turn.
“[Elisabeth] wasn’t feeling good when she woke up in the middle of the night, throwing up,” said Faircloth.
The family rushed the 2-year-old to the doctor, where she was tested for strep throat and put on antibiotics. But Elisabeth spiraled downward.
“Once the doctor first saw her, he was like, ‘Yeah, you need to take her to the ER. There’s nothing I can do for you here,'” said Faircloth.
After a lot of testing, Elisabeth was diagnosed with three strains of E. coli.
While most E. coli are harmless bacteria, some can make us sick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explain. Several can cause diarrhea and potentially other symptoms, “including urinary tract infections, pneumonia, sepsis, and other illnesses.”
Certain infections, brought on by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, can give way to hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, according to the CDC.
“HUS can lead to kidney failure, permanent health problems, and even death,” the CDC warns.
Elisabeth, who was diagnosed with HUS, according to her mom, was put in a medically induced coma and placed on dialysis to clean her blood and help her kidneys.
“She had like a tube coming out of her mouth and all that and basically had to keep her on life support,” said Faircloth.
Elisabeth is now awake after roughly two weeks in the hospital. While she’s doing better, she is still in a fight for her life.
“They said the only thing we can do is keep her alive, basically, keep her stable. Keep her vitals good, and she has to fight it. She has to kill the bacteria, because there’s nothing that can kill it,” her mother said.
Their story is now inspiring them to share the warning signs with other parents who might be heading out to the lake.
“If you go to any of these spots and your kid starts feeling nauseous, ask your doctor, ‘Hey, can you test for that strand before we give antibiotics?’ because antibiotics accelerates it through the blood,” Suzanne explained.
While Elisabeth was originally prescribed antibiotics after testing for strep throat, the medication can also be used to treat severe intestinal illness, the CDC notes. However, the agency says, antibiotics should not be used in those infected with the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli because it can increase the risk of HUS.
For Elisabeth, it’s now a day-to-day battle to beat the infection.
“It’s horrible to watch every day, just watching them suffer. It’s horrible for anyone who visits, you see it in their face. You don’t want to see a little kid go through this,” said Faircloth.
The Tulsa District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement to KFOR that it performs “weekly sampling of designated swim beaches” under its purview but that “bacteria are present in nature at varying levels, and these levels are constantly changing based upon many factors.”
“While test results provide us with an indication of bacteria levels at designated swim beaches when the samples were obtained, they do not guarantee or imply bacteria no bacteria is present,” the statement continued.
The Tulsa District went on to recommend that visitors “wash their hands thoroughly after enjoying water-based recreation opportunities at lakes before eating or handling food to reduce likelihood of contracting waterborne or other bacteria.”
Experts highlight that lakes can carry E. coli due to sewage spills into the water, runoff from heavy rains or animal waste.
Nexstar’s Addy Bink contributed to this report.
