Cheshire, CT

On Sunday, October 6, 1996, I began an experience which I will never forget. I am a forty-four year old woman who has had severe rheumatoid arthritis for thirty years for which I must take drugs which suppress my immune system.

On that day, I drank some apple cider that was processed in a small business just down the street from our home. I began feeling ill that evening. By the next day, I had a low grade fever and chills. The following day, Tuesday, I saw my rheumatologist. He wasn't sure what was wrong. On Wednesday, I began to experience abdominal cramping and diarrhea. These symptoms became much worse and kept me up all that night. Thursday was the same--up all night again with severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. Bloody stools began on Friday morning. I told my husband,"If this continues, I'm in deep trouble."

Several of the medications I take for my arthritis can cause gastrointestinal complications, such as ulcers or bleeding. At this point, I called my internist and a stool culture was ordered. The fever and chills continued. By Saturday morning, I was passing large amounts of blood and began vomiting. Finally, I went to the emergency room and was admitted. I was hospitalized for five days.

On Sunday, my stool culture came back positive for E. coli O157:H7. On Monday, my intestinal biopsy came back as ischemic colitis, which can be seen in rheumatoid arthritis. Because of my history of arthritis, my gastroenterologist believed that my arthritis had gotten worse; he put me on antibiotics for the E. coli infection and said that, to address the colitis, they would have to change my medication, which is not an easy thing to do. The next drug that I would have to use was Cytoxin--a very potent chemotherapeutic drug that would cause me to lose my hair--I was devastated. Thankfully, on Thursday, my rheumatologist learned that ischemic colitis is also seen in patients with E. coli O157:H7. Antibiotics do not work on E. coli O157:H7; in fact, they can make it worse. Sadly, I have since learned that many physicians misdiagnose and mistreat these types of foodborne illnesses.

The people who made the cider recalled their product once my stool culture was found to be positive for E. coli O157:H7. By then several people were ill, mostly children. The state health department commended my internist for obtaining a stool culture because they said many more people could have gotten ill if my test hadn't confirmed the bacteria and the connection to the juice had not been made. A total of 10 people became ill-several children had Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) and some of their stories were frightening! Fortunately, in this outbreak, no one died. I am fortunate that I did not develop similar kidney failure symptoms; I need my kidneys to detoxify my blood from all the medications I need to take.

I took me months to recover. I suffered not only physically, but mentally. I have resolved to help keep this from happening to anyone again. Consumers are entitled to understand the risks these products carry-- consumers deserve to be warned, and farmers need to clean up practices that lead to potentially deadly contamination.

Copyright 1999 by author: Cheryl Gormbard

(read more victim's stories)