Haylee	E. coli O157:H7 HUS

I was only 3 in 1996, when I ate a meal containing pre-washed mesclun lettuce greens, a meal that would change my life forever. Shortly after eating the lettuce I became very ill from E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in one of the first E. coli lettuce outbreaks. Other members of my family also ate the lettuce, but for some reason it affected me most severely. First I developed cramps and diarrhea, then I became increasingly dehydrated. My parents began to worry so they took me to the hospital where I was admitted.

My platelets began to drop rapidly and within a few days I had developed signs of HUS or Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, a very serious complication of E. coli poisoning.

My condition did not improve and the doctors told my parents that I would need to be transferred to a different hospital. My older sister Chelsea, who was also hospitalized, began to recover quicker than I, and would not come with me.

Although I was far too young to remember, what my parents experienced is etched in their minds forever. When they arrived at the hospital they saw me attached to monitors and tubes. I was lifeless and very pale. Shortly after my arrival my kidneys failed. I grew puffy and waste fluids began to build up inside me. As a result my tiny body had to endure hemodialysis to clean my blood every other day. I had to lie still for 3 hours while my mom held me. I had complication after complication. I eventually developed pneumonia and went into respiratory failure. My blood sugar skyrocketed and I had to be put on insulin. To make my situation even worse, I had a seizure. Doctors saw that I had bleeding in my brain and rushed me into an emergency surgery. Before it was all over I would spend 14 weeks fighting battle after battle for my life. But I pulled through.

With the prayers of my family and friends, and the medical care I received, I was finally able to come home. As it turns out, I was one of over fifty cases reported to the CDC with the same strain of E. coli , and in the end, my illness was traced back to the bag of pre-washed lettuce.

Eventually I was discharged and allowed to return home to my family. But my horrific battle didn't end when I left the hospital. For a period of time after my surgery I was blind. So many surgeries had taken their toll on my 3 year old body. I had difficulty walking and I was on numerous medications. To this day I am still being treated for diabetes. My right side is weak, and I have reduced kidney function. I also have continued vision problems. My doctors consider me a living miracle, and my family thinks I'm a fighter. I know that I survived for a reason. Maybe its to tell my story, and hopefully its to help bring about a change in the produce industry so no one else has to endure what I did.